The Playground
by Amorye
Summary: The world of XHS opens up the realities of the world. Sex, relationships, death, conflict, crime; woven into one eventful year, will change the lives of the people that were chosen to be a part of it. Surprise pairings.
1. Welcome Back

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

You bet I got this idea from Gossip Girl. I wanted a Fillmore! version, so here. I made an allusion to it in another fic, The Seven Deadly Sins of Joseph Anza. But I'm not gonna exploit her character. Rating may go up in time.

_Disney owns Fillmore!, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**- THEXOXOPLAYGROUND . NET -  
x marks the gossip spot.**

**hey love. **

You know the old saying, that you're no one unless you're talked about? _Absolutely _true. And there's no such thing as bad press. At least you know you're _somebody_.

I know I _am_. I just won't tell you who I am from the hundreds or thousands of us. It's a big secret. I'll give you a hint. I go to a big school, and I'm starting my first year there. Just because I'm new, doesn't mean I'm stupid. Just to let you know, I'll be on to you. To your every move. I'll be exposing _what _deeds you've done and _who _you've done. But don't worry, some names will be changed. When they _have _to.

So today marks the first official school day of XHS. I heard that Folsom's going with us. I guess she just couldn't leave us, right? I guess she was ready for a change of pace. But be careful, dear principal. If you thought that crimes in Middle School were _bad_, strap on your seatbelt. You'll be in for one _wild _ride with us in high school, right when the hormones are kicking in. _Hard_.

Speaking of hormones, have you seen **Officer Joseph Anza**? He's looking mighty fine if you ask me. Those labor-earned arms are absolutely to die for. Too bad he's taken. By most of our imaginations, because we're not sure who he wants. But we know who we want. An officer on duty just turns me on. Well, one as sexy as he is. All I'm saying, is that I'm watching him. And so is his brother, Commander-in-Chief of the Safety Patrol and graduating senior **Jared Anza**.

**Officer Cornelius Fillmore** isn't looking bad either. If he wasn't taken I'd jump him. Officers **Ingrid Third **and **Karen Tehama** are lucky to be around such sexy boys. Freckly **Danielson O'Farrell**'s starting to tower and mature. Who knows, he might be the next one I'll be eyeing.

**eye spy. **

**Cheri Shotwell** and **Frank Bishop** seen talking. Wonder why.

The **Chestnut Brothers** seen walking with the Safety Patrol. Congratulations, Robert. You'll do a nice job as **secretary**. Right?

Twins **Lilith **and **Chloe Archer** trying out for the cheer squad. New students trying to be noticed. Hmm.

K**aren Tehama** walking out of the mall with _loads _of shopping bags. Rich girl's got something planned. If those are her giveaways for the party, I can tell they're going to be good. She had at least ten **DKNY **paper bags loaded in there and another ten **Kate Spades** at the least. You _do _know about the party, right? If you haven't gotten your invite, most likely it got lost in the mail.

**Cornelius Fillmore** and **Ingrid Third** grabbing a coffee at Starbucks. Nothing like a good latte, right, officers?

And.

**Wayne Legitt**, walking to the principal's office with **Joseph Anza**. Is he back? If he is, things are going to get _very _interesting around here. _Especially _for the Safety Patrol.

**it's party time.**

And only the best get there. Invites-only. This is how it goes down. You get an invite, but it doesn't say where. You have to figure our where it is. There are a couple of clues, so don't worry. I'm sure you'll find out. For those that don't make it, I'll have the 411 with me next chance I get.

Gotta go! I've got to have my hair fixed. See you at school.

**You'll keep coming back to me. **

**xoxo**

**it all started in the office. **

Cornelius Fillmore walked into the Safety Patrol Headquarters of X High School. It was not much different from the one in Middle School, though a whole lot more upgraded. There was a coffee machine there, complete with Starbucks beans, sugar, and cream. There was also a cocoa dispenser and water tank, and a refrigerator. They had two sinks and a dishwasher. A tool kit was placed in the top cabinet. The desks were of hard oak wood, and the large office chairs were tucked into them. The desks were empty, except for a notepad, a pen, a computer, and a telephone. Each desk also had an extension cord, which was added just that year due to high demand.

The floors were made of dark green marble, and the walls of polished wood. The windows were large, with the curtains drawn aside. The room was cool, thus sparing the need for air conditioners. It was rather grand for an office they'd mostly be out of, but it was a well-deserved resting place for the officers. Now he knew why Vallejo liked the place so much.

"Fillmore, you're early." said Vallejo, who'd just entered the office. Vallejo was holding an advisor's position in the Safety Patrol. It was a respectable position for anybody, and a major nod to being trustworthy. The position was voted upon. Only seniors could hold the position of Commander-in-Chief. It made the group sound military-ish, but that was the name. And their current Commander-in-Chief was Anza's older brother, Jared. Except, you couldn't call Anza Anza anymore. You had to refer to him as _Joseph_, as not to confuse the brothers. That was going to take some getting used to.

"Yeah. Just to get familiarized, y'know?" he said, taking his name plaque. "Wow, actual gold."

Vallejo nodded. "So don't lose that. And don't try anything funny around here. Surveillance cameras." he said, pointing to one that was almost concealed by the cabinet.

"Got that." replied Fillmore, who nodded. "Oh, hey Anza. Er. Joseph."

"Hey." said Joseph, who looked about another few inches taller. He was a head taller than Fillmore to begin with. Shortly after his entry, Jared followed, a pretty girl with blond hair holding on to his left arm, and another one with brown hair holding on to his right. The brothers looked alike, except Jared's face looked a bit older, and that he had green eyes, darker hair, and tanned skin. But if one were to judge, Joseph would be the better-looking one.

"Ah, so this must be Officer Fillmore." said Jared, smiling. "We've got ourselves a hell of an asset to the Safety Patrol. Ladies, you're free. Just tell Michelle I don't need escorts. I can take care of myself." The two girls shrugged, and left.

"So, let me give you the low-down. Around here, the Safety Patrol's more respected. They're looked up to. And you'd better prove you're worthy of the position. I know you are. Just don't do anything stupid." he said. "And don't worry about the gossip. Rumors fly around like crazy here, so yeah. You know the truth, so don't bother with them. If there's anything you need, I'll be in my office."

He gestured to the door. "Oh, and Joe. I'm looking forward to your success here."

With that, he strode off to the office. Vallejo snickered at Joseph's face.

"Whoa." commented Fillmore.

"Whoa is fucking right." said Joseph, through gritted teeth. "He's expecting too much from me. I don't get it. He wants me to be better than him. On the ride here, he briefed me on every topic imaginable. I mean, I love working here, but God. Does he have to tell me to top all the records? Hello? I'm not Superman!"

Vallejo laughed. "Well, you're an Anza. And you know that your family's..."

Joseph cut in. "One of the top donators for X, blah blah... on the X Hall of Fame, including my father, grandfather, grandmother, great grandparents..." he sighed. "It's just hard to live up to the legacy. Everyone's too serious about school. Asceline and I are so confused at why everyone's so... focused. Right now all I want is to enjoy life as it goes, and not worry too much about the future."

"Your family goes to the Ivy Leagues, man. It's the best that they look for there." said Fillmore.

Joseph's cell phone rang, and he took out his Sidekick. "Um, let me take this. 'Scuse me." he said, running out of headquarters, where he almost ran into Ingrid Third.

"What's his deal?"

"Oh, hey Ingrid. He's just pressured." replied Fillmore.

She frowned. "Already? It's just the first day of school. And... seven in the morning."

"His brother's C-O-C, remember?"

"Oh." she said. "Wanna head down to Starbucks? I'm in dire need for some coffee. And I don't feel like preparing it."

Fillmore shrugged. "Sure. Hey Vallejo. We're heading down for some coffee. Wanna come?"

"Nah. I think I'll keep an eye on Anza--Joseph."

"Okay."

"So we call him by first name now?"

"Apparently we do."

some people just keep coming back.

Joseph Anza walked out of headquarters and slid open his Sidekick. A few girls waved to him, and he nodded his head, acknowledging their presence. He walked down the East Hall, pressing the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Guess who, Anza."

A smile broke out. "Legitt? Oh my God. How the hell did you get my number?"

"Fillmore. Duh. Who else?" he replied, laughing. "So guess what, Coffee."

Joseph frowned. "Quit calling me that. So what's to guess? Why you're calling?"

"Mhmm." he said. "Look behind you."

Joseph did, and sure enough, Wayne was there, leaning against a tree, waving hello. Joseph smiled, and slid the phone back into his pocket.

"Wayne!" he said, running over to his friend. "Why're you here?"

He stuck out his tongue. "Told you to guess."

"Don't want to. Talk, Hazel."

"I'm back. For good."


	2. Kiss on the Lips

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

Thank you for the alerts and faves, but again, please do review. I'd really appreciate it. To the ones that reviewed, thank you very much! Reviews keep me going. ;D

_Disney owns Fillmore!, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**- THEXOXOPLAYGROUND . NET -  
x marks the gossip spot.**

**hey love.**

Day one was a breeze. My schedule's absolutely perfect. And the teachers, can't believe I'm saying this, are pretty cool when you think about it. For instance, **Miss Follet**, French I, allows anything in class, provided we give her satisfactory work. I think I can manage. Or **Mr. Horace**, History I & III, who cracks an actually _cool _joke every now and then.

I love **Double Arts & Lit**. We're allowed to roam around town provided we turn in something of **Madame Ames**' theme of the day. Too bad it's only thrice a week. But hey, better than nothing. Perfect time to shop, doze off, or mess around. Nudge, nudge.

**Cheerleading** tryouts are this week, ladies. I invite all of you to try out. I think I lost two dress sizes in a year thanks to it. Not that I needed to. They'll be held at the school gym after school, until **Friday**. Also, might I suggest **ballroom dancing**? It's absolutely gorgeous, and as a member, you'll be invited to the best gatherings. In addition to this, you can take up **social etiquette** class. At the end of the year, they throw a ball for the members of both organizations. And by joining these, you get plus points in your overall average. But you'll only be allowed to continue if your initial average does not go lower than a C-minus.

**Lacrosse **varsity tryouts also this week. It'll be at the field near the rock climbing wall. Tryouts are during lunch and after school, until Thursday. Football tryouts at the field next to the gym. They'll be held until Thursday only, because Coach Rodriguez wants to start practices immediately.

Thank goodness the classrooms are much better. Central air conditioning, finally. Except for the Safety Patrol HQ, since it's way grander than any of the rooms us regular students access. They've got the perfect temperature in there. Cold, but not freezing. Lucky bitches.

And I've already received my invite for **Karen Tehama**'s party. I've already found out the location. But I'm not telling you. I do love party crashers, but not when they take all the good booze! Hint? Where you wouldn't expect it. Out of the six hundred invited, I wonder who'll _get _there?

**he just can't stay away. **

He's **back**. And by he, he's the guy that's been missing since seventh grade. He told no one but his fellow Patrollers why he was gone, and sure enough, they kept his word. And now he's back. The gorgeous caramel-colored hair, the expressive hazel eyes, and his now tanned skin were indeed spotted earlier today at school alongside the delicious **Officer Joseph Anza**. Is it me, or does he look _gay_? He looks too... good. But I hope he isn't. And there are questions that need to be answered. Will he resume duties as a Patroller? Or will he find some other use of his time? Like me, for instance. And, most of all, why _is _he back and why _did _he leave?

**eye spy.**

**Rain Stonally **(obviously a changed name) not looking too happy about what she got in the mail. Maybe it's another one of those letters?

Freshman **Elizabeth von Albion** already taken in the ballroom dancing extracurricular. I simply do not understand why she isn't up in New York or in a boarding school with her ridiculous wealth. She could be held ransom at a place like this for God's sake. But that's what bodyguards are for.

Abercrombie & Fitch model and junior **Curtis Evans**, starting up his own club for aspiring models, conjoining with the **photography**, **PR**, **digital imaging**, and **fashion** clubs. Smart. Starting up a club gets extra points and credits on your card.

Renowned singer and current sophomore **Aveline Johnson** signing a record deal. Congratulations, girl.

Fashion Club president and graduating senior **Briar Philips **finishing up her outfit for tonight's party. I'm not giving away anything, except that it's gorgeous.

Oh, and since you simply could not stop e-mailing me, I've set up a new commenting feature here. Enjoy it.

**mintyleaves**, Yesterday, 8:54:09 AM.  
Hey there. Know what, I just heard that **J** and **W** once hooked up! I hope it isn't true. They're too hot to be gay. Awesome site, girl. Love lots, M.

minty.  
Really now? Let's wait and see. There's nothing I love more than two _good _boys going _bad_. Aside from having them with me.

**jbard**, Yesterday, 8:59:30 AM.  
yo. syte rocks, grl. nice work.

jbard.  
Thanks. But go use a spellchecker before submitting. It was kinda hard to read.

**Katie**, Yesterday, 12:50:03 PM.  
Hey, have you heard about the recent talks of replacing the SC president?

Katie.  
Now I do. But I wouldn't see why. He's doing a nice job, in my opinion. And God, it's only the start of the year.

**Ashley**, Yesterday, 2:32:06 PM.  
Where does Officer Anza hang out?

Ashley.  
He never hangs out at just one place. Except home and the safety patrol HQ maybe. Which one are you asking about again?

**guitarfreak**, Yesterday, 3:10:49 PM.  
Heard that Shotwell's preggers and getting Frank Bishop to find out the father.

guitarfreak.  
Pregnant at fifteen? Possible, but as far as everyone knows, Cheri's no slut. She's never hooked up with anyone nor gotten drunk, so maybe not her.

Oh, I've got to go right now. My waxing appointment awaits. And I need to grab a gift for tonight's hostess.

**You'll keep coming back to me. **

**xoxo**

Wayne Legitt closed his laptop. That gossip site shocked him at first, but like Joseph and Fillmore said, ignore them. But most of the stuff there was actually true. He needed to drop off a comment one day, in case she would expose information pertinent to a case. And perhaps she could be of great use for information. She obviously knew a lot. Perfect.

It was kind of mean to refer to him as looking gay, but then again, it was only opinion. He looked good, and maybe a guy looking good translated to gay in her book. Whatever it was, he'd better not let this get to him. But for some reason, he couldn't help but want to check it again and again. A chick's blog actually got him. Wow. That was new. How gay of him.

"Knock, knock." said his mother. "Cornelius here for you."

He smiled. "Let him in." he said, and turned to the door.

"Hey." said Fillmore. "How's life with the new dad?"

He laughed. "Okay, actually. He's a pretty nice guy. And I like him even more now that I'm back here."

"And your dad?"

He sighed. "Well, he married another... guy." he said, his face pained as he said it. "He's... happy at least."

Fillmore cringed. "Damn, man. He still in Tennessee?" Wayne nodded.

"Still there. Runs a farm with... him." he said. He sighed. "I just don't like him. I love my dad of course, but I can't believe he left mom for that wretched guy." he said, clenching his fists. "That's why we're back. I told mom I couldn't handle being there anymore. It was too much for me. They were always the perfect pair for me. I couldn't imagine them divorcing."

Wayne sighed. "Let's move on to a more pleasant topic, shall we?"

Fillmore nearly gasped. Wayne actually looked as hurt as he sounded. Apparently his ability to remain a stoic face was gone. "Oh, sorry, man. Didn't mean to bring up a touchy topic."

"It's okay. You didn't know." he said, picking up the envelope sitting on his desk. "You going to the party?"

Fillmore nodded. "No particular attire. Just said it should be something decent and comfortable."

Wayne looked down at his clothes. He was dressed in knee-length shorts and his undershirt. "Guess these'll do. Found out the location yet?"

"Yeah. Lemme double-check though. The location I found was weird."

Wayne raised an eyebrow. "Okay, let's go check it. I haven't opened the thing yet." he admitted, as he pulled the folded paper out. It was simple blue stationery bearing his name. He opened it and read the contents.

**You're invited to this year's first major party. But you're going to have to do a little work to find it, just for fun. It's going to be held from 7 PM onwards. Wear anything decent and comfortable. As for the location, here's the puzzle.**

**1. The answer to #3 on page 94 (for freshmen), 203 (for sophomores), 112 (for juniors), and 320 (for seniors), of the classes that require logic and care.**

"It's math class." said Wayne. "Page... ninety-four. Luckily I brought home my book."

He took it out from his messenger bag and got the book. "Slopes." he and Fillmore said at the same time.

"So y equals mx plus b... slope equals... four." said Wayne. Fillmore nodded. "Same here."

Wayne smiled, and wrote the number four under the first clue. "Good. Now, next."

**2. The second letter of the title.**

"L." both said.

**3. First two letters of a dreaded event every semester. Also taken when you want to be admitted to a demanding position.**

"Exams or tests?" asked Wayne. "Could go either way."

"Exams." said Fillmore. "Well, that was mine."

"Okay." Wayne said, writing EX down.

**4. Me, myself and...?**

"I."

**5. Find all the consonants of tonight. Ignore the first, and second to the last.**

"Hmm. Trick question. Lemme see." said Wayne. "TNGHT, remove T, we have NGHT, and remove H, we have NGT."

"Right." Fillmore said.

"So far, we have 4 Lexing. Hm. Lexington?"

"Maybe."

**6. 1000 pounds.**

"A ton." said Wayne. "So it _is _4 Lexington."

**7. A place associated with summer. **

"Beach, pool, bar, ice cream place?" said Wayne.

"I went with beach."

"Then beach it is."

**8. Cold and warm air that is over Canada and the USA, that collide. Canada is cold. Singular. **

"Fronts. Cold and warm fronts."

"4 Lexington Beach Front."

"Last one, Fillmore."

**9. Place you go to everyday. You sometimes leave, sometimes stay, but always come back. Multiply or add two or more.**

"House." said Wayne. "Duh. So did I get the same? 4 Lexington Beachfront Houses?"

Fillmore nodded. "It was weird to me because that happens to be a very expensive nightclub. And dude, we're only fourteen."

"Hmph. Worth checking out. Let's go."

**she just needed a little help. **

"No, this won't do. No. No, no!" cried Ingrid.

She had laid out every top she had on her bed, and couldn't pick out one that she liked with her denim shorts. The place was, as the name said, in front of a beach. As far as she knew, the place was open-air, and owned a quarter of the Azura Martin Beach. It cost five grand to rent out the place. That was ten times her weekly allowance and weekly salary combined! And she thought she had a lot of money.

She held up a pink blouse. "Nah. I don't even really wear pink."

She took a white tank top from the spread. "Hm. Maybe. I'll use this green jacket with it."

Someone knocked on her door and pushed it open. Without looking, she took off her blouse, assuming it was Ariella.

"Hey Ingrid, I-- ahh!" a male voice said. She turned and saw the door slightly ajar instead. "Uh, sorry. Thought you were done."

She turned to the door. "Oh, it's you Joseph." she said. "It's okay. Why aren't you with Tehama?"

"Well she said she needed a take care of a few things, so she told me to drive you there." he said, still behind the door. "You done?"

"Yeah. I'll be out in a while." she said, and he heard a zip. "Ugh, Joseph, could you help me with this?"

"Uh, sure." he said, wondering why she didn't ask him to get Ariella if it was clothes trouble she was having. He pushed open the door and saw Ingrid trying to zip up her shorts. He blushed, but went in as requested. She smiled.

"There you are. Pull it up. I'll hold."

He shrugged, and did as told, but couldn't help his mind wandering towards certain thoughts.

"Thanks." she said, smiling. "Come on, it's already six-thirty."

all you need is a kiss.

Wayne was surprised to see at least a hundred or so people already there, already drinking some cocktails with friends, them seated on the hammocks and beach chairs set. He saw that some people were already on the beach, and some playing in the water, splashing their friends with it.

Fillmore went off to search for Karen. He figured she'd need a little help. Wayne decided to hang out first, maybe have a drink, or talk to some people who he hadn't seen in a while. Surely no one really missed him. He was content being alone. He picked up a Long Island Iced Tea from a waitress and gulped it down.

"Man, that was pretty good." he said to himself.

He walked out of the building and took a seat at the beach bar. He let the cool night air breeze against his face. This was the best he'd felt in a long time. He was glad to be back, he really was. It was just that his father was being a real pain. And his mother was becoming nosier and nosier. He knew she was just protective of him, but it was really starting to get on his nerves.

He drank shot after shot, lost in his own thoughts. The drinks were free, and he couldn't help but get more and more.

"Hey. Looks like you're hitting the drinks a little too hard there." said a familiar voice. He couldn't place it, however. His vision was starting to get hazy and he wasn't thinking clearly anymore. The owner took a seat beside him, and took a shot of Absolut, as far as he heard.

"Mhm..." he mumbled, taking another gulp. What was he drinking again? He needed to get more of this stuff. It was way more pleasant than smoking Mary Janes and hitting the bong. He hadn't told anyone about his smoking problem. _Yet_.

He turned to the person that sat next to him. Anza. Wasn't he with Ingrid or Karen?

"Yeah, I left them with Danny." he said, reading his mind. "Wayne, your face is as easy to read as a stop sign."

"Oh really now, Coffee?" he said, the words faster than his brain. "I suppose I can't hide anything from you anymore."

"Maybe." replied Joseph, taking a short sip of his drink. "But for the life of me, I can't figure out why you're drinking like a maniac."

"Maybe cause it's free and I'm free to drink to my heart's content. I'm not all meager, man." said Wayne, as he took another sip. He'd forgotten what he said already. "I'll head down to take a dip. See ya." he said, slapping his friend's back.

Joseph grimaced. "Ow. I'll get you back for that."

"Whatever, _Ass_-pen." he said, stumbling down the path. Joseph laughed. Drunk Wayne was actually comedic.

Ingrid stepped out of the building, and went to the beach bar.

"Wow! Now I can see why it cost so much to rent this place out." she said to Joseph. "It was really noisy in there. The band that offered to play was apparently screamo."

Joseph laughed. "Yeah. That's why I stepped out. I kind of feel like this is a rave party of sorts."

"No drugs, Anza." she said. "Rave parties are dangerous. I don't consider this one."

"Yeah, you're right. As usual." he said, tweaking her nose.

"Ow! Don't treat me like a kid." she said, feigning annoyance.

"Ooh, I'm scared! Ingrid Third's gonna kill me!" he said, faking fear. Ingrid burst out laughing, as he took off for the beach.

"You're gonna get it!" she yelled, taking off after him.

Ingrid ran fast, as a result of frequent chases. But he was too fast, since he was one, a boy, and two, a ridiculously sporty guy. He was going down to the shore. She was near enough to jump him, but not enough to pull him. So she took a few more steps, and launched herself towards Joseph.

"Ow!" he said, as he fell forward to the sand, due to the sudden and unexpected weight addition. They rolled around in the wet sand, laughing. Ingrid pinned him to the ground, as she settled to sit down on him.

"Game over, Anza." she said, smirking.

He stuck out his tongue. "Fine. You win." he said, pushing himself up to a sitting position, supported by his arms. Ingrid was still sitting on him, her face close enough for him to hear her breathing. Before either of them knew what was happening, they leaned in, and were about to kiss, when--

"Someone's out to sea! Somebody help him!" called a voice, whose tone was urgent.

Joseph pulled away, alarmed. Ingrid did the same, quickly standing up. Ingrid squinted, trying to spot the person. Before she could say anything--

"Wayne!" cried Joseph, as he ran off into the warm sea water, to get to his friend.

"Shit." muttered Ingrid, as she pulled out her cell phone, frantically pressing on the numbers. The person on the other line spoke up. "Get a fucking med team, Fillmore! Someone's drowning! Anza's trying to get out to him. FYI, it's Wayne." she said, snapping the Motorola shut.

Meanwhile, Joseph was nearing the floating body, who was struggling to stay up. He kicked faster in the salty, dark sea, and yanked Wayne by the arm. He held him by the waist, and turned to position them to a lying position, and kicked back to shore. The water was warm, and the cold air above was blowing into his eyes. He tried swimming faster, but was tiring out. Deciding to go slower and conserve his energy was the best thing to do.

Ingrid held her breath, as Joseph finally dragged Wayne onto shore, panting. She ran towards him.

"Fillmore's already called an ambulance. They'll be here in a--" Joseph cut her off sharply.

"There's no time to wait." he said, steadying himself over Wayne. "CPR." he mumbled, and tilted Wayne's chin upwards. Wayne was not breathing. He checked for pulse, and luckily there was a pulse. He pinched Wayne's nose shut and breathed into his mouth. He listened for breathing, but still heard none. He started chest compression, as Ingrid could only stare and hope that Wayne was still alive.

"Come on, Wayne, breathe!" said Joseph, pushing down on his chest and breathing. None. He tried again. "Don't leave now. Don't. Wayne!" He tried again, and again. Still none. "Oh my God!" he yelled, trying again.

Wayne coughed. Joseph breathed a sigh of relief. "That's it. Come on." he said, tilting his head to the side, as not for the water to enter his nose. He did a few more chest compressions. Wayne's eyes opened, and he sat up, panting, his eyes wide with surprise. His facial features softened, however, upon seeing Joseph.

"You saved my life." he said, breathless. He embraced Joseph, who returned it.

"Rest up, Legitt." he said. "You've had a hell of a night."

Later, Ingrid stepped beside Joseph, as Wayne was being taken home, and leaned her head on his shoulder. "So what was going to happen if that hadn't happened?" she whispered into his ear.

He put a hand around her small waist. "A lot." he said, holding her closer.

She tipped her head up, and met his lips. He returned it, hungrily claiming her soft, red lips.

Would this be love? Or lust?


	3. Confessions

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

**Happy New Year!**

Thank you for the reviews! They considerably brighten my day. ;D

And if you're interested in the pairing possibilities, check this out on DA. I made it specifically for this. Take out the spaces though.

**cathuhhrine. deviantart . com / art / Links-in-a-Chain-of-Dishonor-73170098**

_Disney owns Fillmore!, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**- THEXOXOPLAYGROUND . NET -  
x marks the gossip spot.**

**hey love.**

In case you _haven't_ heard (which I _highly _doubt), yesterday's party gave everyone the scare of their lives. No, it wasn't the food. It was actually excellent, considering **Karen Tehama**'s exquisite taste. No, it wasn't the alcohol, because the **Safety Patrol** did an incredible job of keeping people in check. And no, we weren't arrested, because it was a completely legal party. Each of the two hundred something that went were _allowed _by their parents.

Still not catching on? The returning **Wayne Legitt** _almost _died that night. He was thisclose. Had it not been for a sharp-eyed attendee, an ambulance, and **Joseph Anza**, he would've drowned then and there, and could have caused a major scandal for the **Tehamas **for not having a lifeguard nearby. No one was really expected to swim, that's why none were on duty.

But the thing is, how could he have gotten that far? Sources say he was hitting the drinks pretty hard. He's had many unsettled disputes here, and without a doubt many were unforgiven. He wouldn't be stupid enough to go swimming at night. Luckily no dangerous creatures inhabit the area. Could somebody want revenge against him? Whoever it is, it's not funny to try and kill him off like that. It's a serious issue, and for sure, the **Safety Patrol **will be on it. They'd better be.

Hopefully they won't make such a big issue about this. A lot of people die of drowning each year, and no one makes very big issues about them. But I have a strange feeling **Principal Folsom **is going to be breathing down the **COC**'s neck come today.

Let's hope he can deal. I know he can.

**eye spy.**

Two officers getting a little physical, if you know what I mean. And someone watching, with green eyes. Looks like a rocky threesome may be in the way.

**Wayne Legitt** and his mother arguing on the steps of X High. Looks like his mom's going to be even nosier now, poor guy.

**Vallejo **buying a pair of binoculars. Hm. Must have been scared of last night's events as well.

**Jared Anza** walking with his brother to school, instead of taking the car ride. Both looked dead serious as they were talking. I did catch a glimpse of it however, and Jared told him he was proud to have a hero as a brother. How nice, COC!

**Cornelius Fillmore** visiting **Wayne Legitt** last night, to check up on his condition.

**Danielson O'Farrell** checking up on safety equipment by the docks.

**your comments. **

**Kirabelle**, Today, 8:12:04 AM.  
I was scared half to death when I saw Officer Anza resuscitating Wayne. I thought he would die!

**Kirabelle**,  
I know. I've got to wonder why Wayne's acting all... distant. He's not the same guy we remembered in Middle School. He's become somewhat... what's the word? Insecure.

**flippy**, Today, 8:30:12 AM.  
sum1 says dat a raft wus found on the shore last nyt. but it's gone now. coincidence?

**flippy**,  
Someone could've rowed him out to sea and pushed him off, is that what you're saying? Then this was no accident.

**insomia**, Today, 8:30:45 AM.  
Legitt was hitting the drinks hard all right. He left like 10 glasses before stumbling down to shore.

**insomia**,  
Something's bothering him. I've never seen anyone of our age drink that much in one sitting.

**Worrying More**, Today, 8:42:56 AM.  
Heard that Wayne has a drug problem. Could it be true?

**Worrying More**,  
Perhaps. But we can't tell-- he's just come back.

I've got to go. School starts in eighteen minutes. Ciao. I'll check in maybe later.

**You'll keep coming back to me.**

**xoxo**

**your guardian angel. **

Karen groaned. It was lunch time, but she wasn't hungry. Besides, she had to worry about the case of a girl receiving provocative and harassing messages by an anonymous sender. But still. This gossip site's author was right. She was smart. She was definitely a hell of a gossip queen. She had picked up on a lead faster than Karen had thought. And if she was only guessing, she was one very gifted girl. She was right. About Ingrid and Anza. They were kissing. Karen bit her lip. She was their jealous lurker.

She liked Joseph. She really did. She thought that what happened last year would be nothing, but it meant something to her. She was considering to tell him of her feelings that night, but instead, she found him with Ingrid. She wasn't about to break up a moment like that. It wasn't like her, though something was pressing her to shove off Ingrid off her Joseph.

Whoever this girl was, she needed to e-mail her. About Wayne. She was glad he was back, but there was something obviously wrong with him. He was looking better than she had ever remembered. He IMed and e-mailed her a lot, but over time, his messages seemed to lose heart and spirit in them. It was as if life was draining him already, at such a young age. Maybe the comment about the drug addiction was true.

"Ignore the rumors, Karen." said a voice behind her. She gasped, and turned to see Jared Anza himself, sitting on a desk behind her.

"Oh, I--"

He smiled. "Relax. Those're just rumors. They can say anything they want, since it's a free country after all. You can choose to believe them, so long as you don't let them get in the line of your work, okay?" She nodded.

"Good. I'll see you later." he said, smiling. He patted her shoulder, and walked out of the office.

She took a sip of her cocoa, smiling. "Guess I will."

The door opened again, and this time, Wayne walked in, looking significantly better than she had last seen him.

"Wayne!" she exclaimed, standing up from her chair.

He smiled faintly at her. "I'm okay, Karen. No need to worry. And for the record, I'm not suing you guys." he said, seating himself on the chair in front of her desk. "Don't worry. It's all going to be fine."

She forced a smile. "Okay... um, I'm really sorry... I just thought..."

"You're forgiven, as long as we put this behind us." he said, a bit too quickly for Karen. "I don't want to talk about it."

She nodded. "So... are you going to head back to the force?" she asked.

He bit his lip. "I honestly don't know. I mean, I want to, but I don't know if I can do it. I have the abilities, yeah, but I don't know if it will ever be the same. I don't know if what I'm going to give will be enough, or will ever be the same as I had before." he said. "Not at a time like this." he mumbled to himself.

"Excuse me?" said Karen, unsure if she heard him right. "What happened to you? You were the guy that turned people around. Take Fillmore. You made his life better. You're the guy that motivated everyone to do their best. You're the guy who said that anything is possible. You're the guy that lead everyone to the right direction. You're the one that said that mistakes are things that we need to reflect on to better ourselves. What happened to the guy there?"

He took a short breath. "Karen. I just... changed. People changed. I can help others, but I will _never_ be able to help myself. Now if you'll excuse me." he said, abruptly standing up and storming out of the room.

Karen fell back to her seat. The shortest conversation she'd had with him turned out to be the most draining one. She couldn't believe what he said. He just gave up? That was impossible. _Who was he?_ She sighed, hitting her fist on the desk.

"Hey, easy there." said Vallejo, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I heard the whole thing. It was impossible not to."

"It's fine, Vallejo." she replied. "It's just that..." she started. Vallejo took a seat in front of her. "Oh, who am I kidding. I don't know him anymore. And then there's rumors about him. Being a drug addict. I find that easy to believe now that I've heard him."

Vallejo shook his head. "You may. But remember, don't always assume. He may be having problems he can't tell anyone. It happens to everyone. Give him space, be nice to him, and don't make it obvious that you're trying to find out what's wrong with him."

"Tough." she commented.

"True. But I know _you're_ willing to go through that to find out what's bothering him. Truth be told, I was worried about him when he'd set foot in the school yesterday. The eyes tell the story, Tehama. His face said he was elated to be back, but his eyes said otherwise." said Vallejo. "So I'm assigning _you_ to watch over him. This isn't an official request. This is from a concerned friend."

She looked up from her work. Now she knew why Vallejo was elected as an advisor. He was mature beyond his years, and was right about what he was saying. "Thanks, chief." she said, smiling.

"Not a problem." he said. "Be his guardian angel. He needs one."

**take one for legitt. **

"Mr. Anza. I presume you've heard about what happened to Mr. Legitt, am I right?"

The air was still, and the room's lights were dimmed. Though they were about a metre apart, he could feel her hot breath down his neck. She was fuming, as he'd expected. He prepared himself the night before, taking long breaths, and actually meditating, since he was unable to sleep. It was not on his to-do list to anger the principal the first week any further.

Jared nodded slowly. "Yes, ma'am."

She smiled sweetly. "Well, you know what to do."

Again, he nodded, though quicker this time. "Yes, ma'am."

She slammed her fists on the desk. "Then get to work!" she snarled. "I am _not_ looking forward to negative press as early as the first week of school!" she shrieked.

Jared didn't move a muscle. He knew better than to answer back to Principal Folsom. She was actually a very troubled woman, and was very prone to violent mood changes, as he recalled.

"Listen, Jared. You were elected to this position for a reason. I expect you to live up to my expectations, since I've heard so many good things from your peers. Solve this case, or your job is at risk." she said. "Care for a biscuit? They're imported from England."

"No thank you." he said.

She smiled. "Then you're dismissed. I expect a report in one week. Find out why he's been acting peculiar. And try to find out what happened that night. You were there, right? So get a move on it."

He nodded, and walked out of the room.

How he managed to hold his composure, he didn't know, but he couldn't hold it anymore. He ran towards the safety of his office. Folsom was serious when it came to taking people off their positions. If she was harsh in Middle School, he felt she would be a lot worse now. He took a few shaky breaths, and relaxed back in his seat. He took a post-it, and wrote his tasks for the case.

**missing you is probably the biggest mistake i'm committing right now. **

Fillmore exited AP Psychology. He felt that the class was necessary for his duties as a Safety Patrol officer. He already knew what was in many people's minds, yet, he couldn't figure out what exactly was in the heads of his friends right now. It was as if high school had immediate changes to someone's life.

Ingrid was suddenly looking for boys. Out of all things, love was the last thing he'd expected from Ingrid to be finding. He sighed. And after seeing Ingrid and Joseph, he just couldn't help but feel like a part of him had been taken away. Why was he even thinking about love? There was more to high school than hormones. But they were too strong. Just when he'd thought he had control of himself, he began to lose it again.

He couldn't deny it anymore. He was in love with Ingrid. Why hadn't he confessed to his feelings before? Ingrid could've returned it. She'd shown more than a few signs to make him think she liked him as more than a friend. But right now, all he could do was watch and wait. Ingrid was taken, and he couldn't get her back. Not yet.

Just when he thought his mind was clear of her, she was right across him, coming from AP Biology. He was about to walk to her, but he stopped, seeing Joseph standing beside her. He groaned, and angrily made his way back to headquarters.

Tehama jumped when she saw him enter. She was working pretty hard on the anonymous-letters case, since they were of a sensitive nature. She and Ingrid were the only ones that would really understand what their victim was feeling.

He gave a curt nod to her and seated himself heavily on his chair. He logged on to the network and decided to start on his geometry homework.

"I miss you." he muttered.

**discoveries help, but some hurt to be known. **

"Hey Anza." she greeted, kissing his cheek, while he finished taking a drink from the water fountain. "HQ?"

He shook his head, smiling at the sight of her. "I've got to go interview some people about last night." he said. "Jared texted me about it."

"Oh." she said, readjusting the bag on her shoulder.

"Hey, you've got your case too." he said. "You still have to check up on Pauline right?"

"Yeah I do. Actually, she's the one doing the checking up on Tehama and I." she said. "She comes by HQ after every period, and stays there whenever she could. It's kind of annoying, but I'd be as paranoid as her if I got stuff like that."

"Ah, sensitive, caring Ingrid." he said. "I'd better get going. Jared sounded mad."

"Thought it was a text." she said.

He nodded. "It was. Though he and I share this weird connection. Like we always know where the other is, or what the other's feeling and stuff. It's pretty cool." he said. "Though more on creepy. See you. Take care of yourself." he said, kissing her forehead, before running off.

"Docks?" yelled Ingrid.

"Yeah! After school!" he replied. Ingrid smiled the whole way back to headquarters.

She entered the room, and wasn't surprised to be seeing several officers at work. Fillmore, still her partner, was there at his desk, doing what seemed to be his geometry homework. She walked towards him.

"Hey Fillmore." she said, seating herself at her desk, which was placed to his right. Just like in Middle School.

He looked up from his work, and smiled. "Well, what do we have here? Ingrid Third looking all energetic. How's that for a change."

She laughed. "Oh, come on. Since when did you do homework in HQ?"

"Since now." he said, putting down the pencil. "Oh, there comes your vic."

"What?" Ingrid turned, and sure enough, Pauline Stone was there. She was a petite girl with black hair and blue eyes. She was an average student, but excelled in her extracurriculars. Namely, fashion design and photography. So, she was obviously a fashionista, and was very harsh on comments about people's choices in clothing.

"Officer Tehama, that cardigan is so beautiful." she said. "You look great today. So, anything new?"

Ingrid laughed, though it was audible enough for only Fillmore and herself.

"Uh, we've actually made a lot of progress. Let's go to the briefing room. I think it's better no one would hear." she said. She turned to Ingrid, motioning for her to follow. Ingrid nodded off to Fillmore, and followed the two girls into the room.

Inside the briefing room, Karen had laid out the evidence.

"Okay, ready?" she asked. Pauline nodded.

She held up a few pictures of the notes. "We've dusted the fingerprints, and we've found out that five different people sent out the notes. The one that wrote it could be one of them, or someone else."

"And according to student database, the five potential suspects would be..." Ingrid closed her eyes. "Kent Beckham, Cliff Strauss, William Clayton, Josh Freeman, and--"

"What?" interjected Pauline. "Josh? _My _Josh?"

Ingrid and Karen gasped.

This just wasn't getting any easier.

Kared sighed. Just like her own love life. Confusing, sudden, surprising. In a bad way.

**confessions of a commander-in-chief. **

With an entire force and the entire high school's safety under his responsibility, you'd think that Jared Anza was too busy to even have a social life. Indeed, he was. But he knew how to manage his time. Far more impressive than others of his age, exceeding even the Student Council President, in the eyes of many.

He was currently dating Michelle Nicole Miller, or MNM, as he preferred to call her, who was president of the Modeling Club. She was nice, pretty, sweet, had a body every self-conscious girl would die for, weighing in at only 90 pounds and standing five-foot-nine. But she was irritatingly clingy and possessive. She wanted to know each and every thing about him, what he liked, who his friends were, and even the shampoo he used. It was ridiculous, but that was her for you. She paid attention to the smallest details. If she weren't such an art and fashion critic, she could have passed the profiler's exam with flying colors.

And he was hoping she didn't notice who he was dating behind her back.

Angeline. Quiet, reserved, but a brilliant singer and songwriter. She was even prettier than Michelle, in his opinion. She wasn't just pretty. She was beautiful. Large, expressive eyes, that were nearly violet, and long, luxurious black hair that moved whenever she did. She was blessed with an ideal body, though she wasn't as tall as Michelle or as thin as she was.

He couldn't tell anyone of their affair. And Angeline couldn't, either. She was Karen's sister. And she knew that Karen was overprotective of her, instead of the other way around, because she nearly died on a family trip. She was protective over everything.

All he had on his mind right now was Angeline. Angeline Tehama. He saw several notes from MNM, but he didn't care right now. He just wanted to spend some time alone with her. She was the one that took away all his stresses of the day. She was the only one that could offer the simplest words of reassurance to him and make it mean so much more.

He felt bad about cheating on her, he really did. But it was love with Angeline. When he kissed her, it was different from Michelle's. There was more than a kiss shared. They were sharing a moment of intimacy, security, indescribable love that can only be felt by the perfect match. For him, it was her.

But in the end, who would he choose? His first one? Or his true one?


	4. Surprising Revelations

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

Thanks for reviewing, people. :D And aliens.

I'm pretty much using my own universe in my fics, so the OCs will be used in other Fillmore fics I use. Just a little note.

_Disney owns Fillmore!, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**- THEXOXOPLAYGROUND . NET -  
x marks the gossip spot.**

**hey love.**

Well, it's been a week since the start of school, and I haven't tired from it yet. Eventually I will, but God, high school is so much more fun than middle school. Everything is simply better here. The lessons are pretty tough, but whatever. I'm sure you and I can get grades satisfactory enough for our parents not to be taking away the privileges we deserve. **  
**

I'm actually enjoying history classes now. **Mr. Horace **is so nice! And heck, like I always say, his jokes are pretty cool. He's like, fortysomething, but he can keep up with us. And he gave me an A for my essay. Of course I love getting good grades. I just don't like to work too hard for it. I'll study during exams, but you're not going to see me carrying my algebra book to lunch or to my vacation. Um, nerd much.

The case has been solved. Well, the one for the girl that kept getting those messages. I saw one. It was so creepy. It had, like sexually explicit messages written, and passages from banned books containing the latter. And the creepy "I hate you." scrawled at the bottom of the note in blood red ink. Oh God. I didn't believe why he did it. I can't believe someone like him would do such a thing. This just proves that high school and hormones can violently change a person.

Oh, yeah, has anyone seen **Eric Orben **anywhere? A friend of mine's wondering where he's gone, and why he hasn't been spotted at school yet. I know he went to Europe. Sources say he's already back, but I doubt it. I wonder how he is, though, because he left after seventh grade, and he said that he was returning this year. Must be major jet lag, I guess.

**eye spy.**

**Ariella Third**, already browsing through colleges' flyers. Someone's awfully excited. But she's not the only one.

**Michelle Miller**, with a haphazardly thrown outfit? Unusual. Unless it's a new statement, or new look she's experimenting with. Sorry, girl, but it looks so slutty. Folsom might not allow that in school.

**Jared Anza** coming out of the office with with red eyes? Has he been crying? Or does he have sore eyes? Either way, poor guy.

The drama club officers' elections being held at the theatre. It's a club-only voting though.

The two Tehamas buying a guitar. I rather like it. It's a white one, and looks pretty cool.

**Danny O'Farrell**, checking out posters for clubs and extracurriculars. Maybe someone's looking for a change of pace.

**Marye Dinsmore** sporting a new haircut. Emo much? And what's up with the eyeliner? It doesn't look right to me, but I can't say why.

your comments.

**Mary,** Today, 7:15:02.  
I see Officer Tehama following Wayne around a lot. I think that's her, at least. Either that, or I'm imagining things. Do you see that too?

**Mary,**  
I can't say that I have, but I know Wayne needs someone to keep an eye on him. Ever since his return, he's been pretty unpredictable.

**gransd**, Today, 7:30:07.  
the younger anza's girlfriend's really pretty. i am a new student here. what is her name? i think i met her in Nepal a few years ago, but i can't remember her name.

**gransd**,  
It's Ingrid Third. Nepal? Ooh, reform school? Hm. Interesting. She might be in for a surprising reunion, gransd.

**schrapnel**, Today, 7:31:32.  
Hey, do you know when the yearbook comes out?

**schrapnel**,  
I dunno. Might take them a while. Why?

**thrib**, Today, 8:00:43.  
anything new with what happened to Wayne?

**thrib**,  
I know there is. But I'm not leaking it out here. Once it's been solved, I'll tell you. But for now, I'm going to keep it a secret.

**3ish**, Today, 8:02:56.  
I've heard that a certain family's having incestuous relationships. And their parents don't know about it. Their parents think they're spending brother-sister/brother-brother time, when they're actually doing the nasty. And that family happens to be one of the most prominent.

**3ish**,  
Seriously? Where'd you hear that? I know the family you're insinuating, but incest? Oh God. You've got to be kidding me. They sleep in bed together, but that doesn't count as incest, because it's not like they were doing anything wrong. But I do wonder if they did... because they'd be in for a lot of trouble.

Oops. Got to go. Can't be late for today's assembly-- Folsom's formal addressing. If I am, I'll be dead.

**You'll keep coming back to me.**

**xoxo **

**talking can't always make it better.**

"Jared, something's been bothering you recently. I don't know what it is, you know? You're giving me vibes I can't identify. What's up with you? Something aside from work is bugging you."

Jared failed to tune out Michelle's voice. He was bothered, definitely. By work, and honestly, by her, right now. He sighed, as he continued down the path from the lacrosse field, heading to his locker to get ready for AP Chemistry.

"You know what? I'm just tired. Sick and tired of you avoiding me." she said, still following him closely. "I don't know what summer did to us, but I hate it. Jared, I've missed you. It wasn't my fault I had to spend it traveling with my parents! I'd rather have stayed here with you. Isn't it that you told me you wanted to spend forever with me?"

He turned to glare at her. "Then why have you been hooking up with Chris behind my back?" he asked, raising his voice slightly. He lowered his voice, his face suddenly turning hopeless. "You know, I don't think this is working out. I don't think I even know you anymore."

"You're breaking up with me?" she asked tearfully, though more of screamed, actually. "Jared--"

"For once, let me talk." he said, calmly, in the way only the Anzas could do it. "I've been calling you all summer. I've e-mailed you dozens of times, and it's no exaggeration. And yet, you never replied to a single one, except for one that just said you were having fun. I'm glad you were, because now, I don't think you'll be. Excuse me."

He slammed his locker shut, and walked past her, his face obviously showing his forced control of his tears. He was biting on his lip so hard, it nearly bled. As he sat down in class, in the very back, just in case he had an urge to break down, the realization just hit him.

He just broke up with Michelle. He just broke up with Michelle.

God, enough with her. He needed to worry about other things. Like Wayne, for instance, whose safety and sanity he was worried about since day one. He knew Wayne meant a lot to the officers of the force, and he didn't want them to worry too much about him when they had work to do. Already, offenses were piling up. There wasn't an end to it. But he wouldn't have anyone else to do the job.

"Jared, you okay?" asked a hushed male voice beside him. It was Nate Calloway, his best friend since childhood. It was a rhetorical question, since Nate could read his mind like a stop sign. He shook his head, signifying that he wanted to talk later. He nodded in understanding. Nate was what anyone could define as a perfect friend. He loved to joke around, he loved to chat, make up stupid things, be random, and cheer you up whenever you were angry or upset. He was pretty reckless, but he knew how to behave himself. He was sometimes the stress ball that absorbed all Jared's anger and frustrations.

He was his own person though. They weren't known as Jared and Nate, because they weren't the best friends that hung out together every second of the day, no. They were the friends that were okay with spending time with other people, and were always there for each other.

Nate had become his best friend when Jared noticed that Nate was being such a loner when they were still in pre-school. Jared was always well-liked by his peers for his confidence and his leader-like aura. He had many friends, but noticed Nate sitting quietly in a corner, reading his book. At such a young age, Nate had been orphaned, and was sent to live with his uncle that he hardly even knew. Jared kept talking to him, and Nate became really happy that someone was actually being nice to him, and was listening to him.

Jared picked up his ballpen, and jotted down the notes Professor Macron was writing on the board. He'd study them later, since his head was too preoccupied.

"Mr. Anza? Mr. Anza!"

His head bolted up from his note-taking.

"Huh?" he said.

"If you weren't daydreaming about what you did in bed so much, you would've heard me to have just asked you for the formula of trifluoroacetic acid?" said the professor. Several snickered at his comments. This professor was known to have a bad habit of making cracks at topics not suited for the young mind. Normally, they'd have to fire a guy like that, but since he was a good teacher, he was allowed to stay. Though he was always put in seniors' and juniors' classes only.

"Oh. It's CF3CO2H, professor." he said, ignoring the people that were looking at him.

"Well done. Could you give me the other names?"

Jared tapped his pen, hoping to ring a bell. He read this last night. "Um... perfluoroacetic acid, sir? And... trifluoroethanoic acid."

"Excellent job. You'll get several credits from me today, Mr. Anza. That, class, is an example of a good student. A student that..."

Jared shrugged, and tuned out the monotonous voice of the professor. Right now, the compliments really didn't mean much to him, since he was too tired to bask in glory. He studied so hard just to get his mind off his complicated relationships. Joseph was quick to note his sudden absorption with studies. He wasn't buying the "I'm studying hard to get into a good college." reason he gave. But he asked nothing further.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear the bell ring. Nate tapped his shoulder to get his attention.

"Class is over, genius. What's up?" he said, helping Jared stand from his chair.

"Ugh. I just broke up with Michelle. I mean, it feels good to finally let go off her, but I feel so guilty about doing it so suddenly." he said, picking up his books.

"If you love her, why'd you break up with her?"

"I can't... handle her anymore, Nate. She's driving me crazy. She's making my life a living hell. I'm not even sure I love her anymore. And besides, I have Angeline. She makes everything better."

He sighed. "Jared, Jared. You should've thought more before acting upon your emotions. It can wind up hurting others more than it hurting you."

He took a shaky breath, trying to regain his composure. Nate was right. It was the plain, sick truth, that he failed himself. He wouldn't let the tears fall. "She broke me when I found out that she was hooking up with someone."

"Aren't you doing the same thing with Angeline?"

"I talked to her about my problems with Michelle... and it just happened. I couldn't help myself."

"Then let her go. If she comes back, you're meant to be together. If not... then it's someone else who's waiting for you."

**it's a beautiful world but everyone's insane.**

The first week went by uneventful, not counting the dozens of people asking him about last week's events, and that if he wanted to join the force again. A part of him wanted to, but another gave him vibes that he would be in great danger if he did join. What the danger was, he didn't know. But X was a big high school. He wouldn't know half the people even if he tried. And he wouldn't know the ones that kept grudges against him.

He couldn't tell anyone of his problems. He was afraid to let anyone know, afraid they would think less of him. Where was the Wayne they knew, the confident, smart, star patroller they had in Middle School? The past three years down at Tennessee completely changed him into a self-kept, quiet, and now regular student.

He wanted to tell someone, but he felt like he couldn't trust anyone. He could always tell Fillmore, but then he'd go directly to Ingrid, and Ingrid might tell the others about it. There was always Karen, but she might do the same as Ingrid would. Jared, Joseph's brother, was there too, but he was unsure of how to approach him. Vallejo, he had no idea how to approach for personal problems. There was the guidance counselor, but then they'd go to Kenneth, his step-father, and his mother, and they'd find out about his secrets.

Joseph. His eyes brightened. The guy that never spread gossip, unless he was asked, or if it was important. The guy that was always true to his word. Maybe Joseph could be trusted. He was the one that nearly discovered it, anyway. So, what's to hide?

The bell rang, and he walked out of AP Biology, nearly forgetting his notebook. He headed directly to Joseph's classroom, AP French, which was always dismissed about five minutes after the bell. He waited beside the lockers, hoping to catch Joseph alone, so he could talk. The door opened about two minutes later, and Joseph was the fifth or sixth out, and he immediately noticed him waiting.

"Wayne!" he said, giving him a small smile. "Hey. What're you doing here?"

"Well, um," he started, clearing his throat. "I kind of... wanted to talk to you."

"Okay... sure." said Joseph, looking as if he was weighing something else with what he'd asked of him.

"You're not doing anything, are you?" Wayne asked, knowing he must've had plans with someone else.

"I was going to eat lunch out with Ingrid, but I'll put it off for tomorrow. I think this is going to be pretty important, Wayne, so come on. Let's go." he said, starting off. Wayne followed, as Joseph took out his Sidekick, and called, most likely, Ingrid.

"Hey baby."

Baby? They were in a relationship already? Wayne wasn't sure what to make of it.

"So you're okay with tomorrow? Okay. Thanks. I love you. No, I love you more. You hang up first. All right, all right. I will. Fine. Bye Ingrid." he said, smiling, his eyes bright.

Joseph was in love. Irrevocably, and truly in love. So why was he feeling strange about discovering it? Did he like Ingrid too? Or the unthinkable? He shook his head vigorously, as if it could diminish the thoughts he had just a second ago. Breaking a relationship? No way. He wasn't cruel.

They went to a downtown Japanese restaurant. Not really the setting for what he was going to tell Joseph, but he had an idea. There's the old Wayne for you.

"Let's take out the food. This place looks so depressing." said Wayne.

Joseph nodded in agreement. "And too stuffy. Let's go eat by the river. Hardly anyone goes there."

"Good idea." he praised, as they fell in line.

The two walked out of the restaurant, not without a few pairs of eyes following them out. The river was just a few minutes away. They walked towards it in silence, definitely aware of the others' presence, and being comfortable just being there.

Wayne settled on a spot near a giant stone, where he leaned his back on. He took a piece of sushi and chewed on it slowly. Both just listened to the wind, and the sound of the cars passing by.

"So." Joseph's smooth, almost musical voice said, breaking the silence. "What's on your mind?"

He swallowed the food. "A lot. But Joseph. Can I ask you something?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Can I trust you?"

Joseph just stared at him. Finally, after a few tense moments, he answered. "Wayne. You know you can. I believe I'd earned your trust a few years ago."

"A few years can make a difference. Just look at me." he said.

"Then you have my word. You can always tell me anything." said Joseph, getting more and more suspicious by the moment. "You're hiding something, I know you have been doing so since you'd come back."

"That's why. I couldn't hide it anymore. The looks you give me make me guiltier and guiltier for keeping it from you. So I've decided, I've nothing to hide from you. I just want you to keep it from getting leaked out, and just... help me get over it." he said, unable to look at Joseph in the eye.

"Over what?" Joseph tilted his chin up. His eyes flashed. "You're... oh God. Please don't tell me you're taking... them." he said, unbelieving.

"It's more to that, Joseph." he said, quietly. "My other step-father hates me. And I'm sure he'll do everything in his power to make my father hate me. Just because I detest him." he said, clenching his fists so tight, that it turned a sickly pale white. "I know someone's after me. Someone's after my blood."

"Wayne. Do you know how serious this is?" said Joseph. "I can't just keep this to myself. Someone else has to know."

"_Tell no one_." he said, icily. "And that's why I turned to drugs. I turned to smoking. I turned to... self-inflicted harm... it was too much."

"And Joseph. I'm seeing things. Shadows, creeping up on me, probably waiting for the right moment to kill me." he said, with a surprising and eerie calmness that shattered Joseph's nerves. "So tell no one. Because he'll be after you too. And as for the night that I almost drowned... that guy's just lurking about. He can hurt anyone of you. That's what I fear now if I do join the force."

**good things make up for the bad things.**

It pained and annoyed Fillmore to see Ingrid and Joseph together. They looked so good together, and the light in their eyes actually showed that it was love they were feeling. It was one of those things you could just tell. And it hurt, knowing he wasn't the guy she had feelings for like that. He was happy that she was still his best friend, and that he was still her best friend. It was like old times, except that she didn't have as much time for him as before. Ingrid was a good friend, still, making enough time for everyone.

He busied himself in work, hoping to forget and hoping to ignore them together. Of course, he still spoke to them. Separately, at least, or in the presence of another friend, Vallejo was surprised to see how hardworking he suddenly became, but he made no comment,

When he arrived home, his mother was waiting for him on the couch. Her eyes were shining with happiness.

"Oh, Cornelius! You wouldn't believe what just happened today!" she exclaimed.

He smiled. "Hey mom. What happened?"

"You're going to have a baby brother!"

His jaw almost dropped, out of happiness and surprise. He'd always wanted a sibling. Suddenly, things began looking up for him.

"That's great, mom! Congratulations." he said, embracing her.

She smiled, pleased that her son was glad to be having a new family member.

He went out to the hall, and reached for the phone. He dialed the first few digits of Ingrid's number, but stopped, and brought down the receiver. He picked it up again, and dialed a number he hadn't called in a while.

"Hello?" came the voice of Penny Madrid.

---

Didn't expect that, huh? Hope you enjoyed this. I'm on a bit of a writers' block, so sorry for the late updates.


	5. Hearts Lie

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

If you want an idea on how Jared Anza looks like, check this out:

**cathuhhrine . deviantart . com / art / The-Anza-Brothers-78897623 **

Remove the spaces. I made that just a few days ago, so I hope you like. Feel free to drop a comment or something.

Okay, on with the story. Thanks for the reviews.

_Disney owns Fillmore!, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**- THEXOXOPLAYGROUND . NET -  
x marks the gossip spot.**

**hey love.**

Ohmigod. I absolutely love the new mall that just opened on **Fourth Street**. I mean, wow. It's pretty upscale there, with most of the stores selling designer stuff. Though there are even more stores there selling other clothes and bags and shoes. Wow. Total shopping galore! Time to get out those credit cards and saved money from gramps.

Another reason why I totally love it? I live near the place, so I can like, just walk there. Anyway, so far, school's been great. I've been getting a lot of As and Bs, and I hardly even work for them. I'm sure you're smart yourself, and probably just haven't used your potential. You know this stuff. So don't go uselessly writing notes on index cards and cramming the night before. What you do is just understand the stuff. Don't cram, because about half the things you memorize won't even be included in the test. Except history and biology maybe.

Honestly I thought I wouldn't even survive the first week of high school. Well, it's been way past that, and along the way, I've learned quite a few survival tips. One, never try hard to fit in. No one likes people that force themselves to be someone they're not. Two, stop worrying about the past, and the stuff you do wrong. Come on. There's a lot of stuff you can be good at. Three, improve the good things about yourself. You'll be sure to stand out from that. Four, be confident. It's a key element in making friends.

And more to come. Hey, it's been only less than a month.

I found **Eric Orben**. He's indeed come from Paris, and wow, he's got the _accent._ I wonder how being away can suddenly make _instahotties_. Maybe I should try! Anyway. He can now speak French like a native, being the genius that he is. Look out, Third. He may not have photographic memory like you, but he's the guy that might give you a run for your money in the genius ranks.

I've heard that a lot of major backstabbing is already plaguing the cheerleading squad. About who exactly, what exactly, and why exactly, I'm not saying. Not yet. I'll wait for the right time to tell all. But what I'll tell you is this: it's a boy problem that started it.

Has anyone seen the captain of a certain team in X? He's been reported missing since yesterday, and no one knows where he is. Knowing the police, they won't start looking until 3 days after the person is missing. Let's just hope he'll be back soon, because the big game is going to be in just a few weeks.

**eye spy.**

Officer **Cornelius Fillmore **spotted spending more and more time with an old flame. Hm, I wonder what he wants from her. Ooh, speaking of him, he's going to have a new family member on the way. Congrats!

_Yes_, I like, no, **_love_**, to gossip about our **Safety Patrol** officers. **Joseph Anza** and **Wayne Legitt** were spotted by the riverbank yesterday, talking in what seemed like an _intimate_... or _very _serious conversation. I have no idea what it was about, but you'll be the second to know what it's about once I find out.

**Ariella Third**, and her adorable Italian boyfriend **Giovanni Vicco **walking home together. Aww.

Twins** Stacy** and **Kathlyn Brooks** arguing over who gets the pair of Nine West sandals. Uh, hello? They can always buy another, being the fashionistas they are.

**Regina Louis** and half-sister **Millie Jolanda **selling brownies. Buy some! They're so good, that I placed an order for a box or more.

Football quarterback **Clarence Zachary** sporting a black eye and a sprained ankle. Poor guy.

**Christian Thorne **walking alone in the park. Unusual. He's always around his people.

And, a **_certain girl_** getting all prepped up! Must be a date tonight.

**your comments.**

I'll do a post later, because God, there are _so_ many comments! Not that it's a bad thing. And wow, I can't reply to all of them, sadly. I need to go now because I've got an appointment with my dermatologist. Not missing a facial for anything!

**You'll keep coming back to me.**

**xoxo**

**they can always trust each other.**

Joseph had been debating to himself on whether or not to tell someone about Wayne's problem. He didn't want to break his promise, yet he wanted so badly to help him. It almost killed him, for God's sake! He entered the house, closing the door without force, as his mother hated it when he'd slam the door. He nearly broke the glass one time, and he was grounded for two weeks. He hung his coat in the coatroom, and walked in the brightly lit room.

"If he doesn't get help, then it might get worse. But if I do tell someone, he'll hate me. And if he does, it might get even worse. And his mom. Oh, God. I wonder... but..." he stopped himself, when he saw Jared sitting in the den, probably IMing people or doing homework. He took a breath, and just let himself inside the spacious room.

"Jared?"

Jared looked up from his MacBook. It was his brother, Joseph, who had probably just gotten home. It was a windy day, and his hair was unkempt, most likely by the wind. He stood up.

"Yeah?" he said, walking over to Joseph, and fixing his hair. Jared was, to put it in short terms, a neat freak. Joseph didn't react. He was used to it.

"Well... I think I should've told you this before, but uh... I think I know why Wayne's been acting like this. I... think we should discuss it somewhere else." he said, looking around the room. He didn't want anyone but Jared to know what was bothering his friend.

"Okay, fine." he said, gesturing upstairs. "In my room."

The two boys had the entire second floor to themselves. They had separate rooms though, mainly because their parents knew that once they reached the teenage stage, they'd need more privacy, doing you-know-what. Joseph had walked in on Jared and his girlfriends on many occasions, but neither of them really cared. It wasn't their business anyway.

When he shut the door, Joseph said, "Agh, screw it. I can't break my promise."

"Promise?"

"I promised not to let anyone else know, and I-- ugh. I don't know... I don't know what to choose. My promise to a friend..." he said. "or my duties."

Jared sighed. "Sit down, Joseph." he said, as he himself took a seat. "I know it's going to be hard, but I, I would put my duties over anything."

"But Jared, I don't want him to get mad at me." he said. "If he does... then I don't think he'll be able to learn how to trust anymore."

"He'll forgive you, Joseph. No one is beyond that. Besides, it's your duty, as a friend, to help him. Right?"

That was unexpected. Jared, the no-nonsense, I'm-always-better-than-you, aloof older brother assuring him of forgiveness? And talking to him about friends?

"Yeah." he said. "I guess you're right."

"Okay then." said Jared, smiling. "So, tell me. What's wrong with him?"

"Jared..." he started. "It's not that simple."

"Nothing is ever simple, bro. Nothing."

Joaeph sighed, brushing his hair back. Somehow, he found Jared easier to talk to now, more than he ever did in his entire lifetime. "He's taking _drugs._ He _smoked._ He... _drinks._ He _cuts._ Oh God." he said, cringing. "And then, his step-father hates him."

"His step-father? _Kenneth?_ What? I thought he--"

"No, his _other_ step-father." cut Joseph.

Jared's jaw nearly dropped, and he gripped Joseph's right arm. "_What?_ His father... married a _man_?"

"Yeah."

Jared shook his head in disbelief. "Oh God. And I thought I had it bad."

"Why?" Joseph asked, raising an eyebrow. Now was probably the right time to get Jared to talk. "What's been going on, Jared?"

"Can we talk about it later?" he said, frowning. "It's also kind of a long and complicated story."

"Fine. And... yeah. He also told me why he's still not sure of joining the force."

"Why?"

"Because," he started. "Someone's after him. According to him, his near-death thing at the party was no accident. Someone, apparently, wants him _dead_." he said, the last word coming out chilled. It frightened him to hear his own voice sound so... haunting.

"Jesus Christ." muttered Jared, letting go of Joseph's arm. "And what does this have to do with us?"

"If he joins, he's scared he might damage us. He wouldn't tell me who those people, or that person was, but he was implying that they're dangerous."

"Doesn't his mom, or Kenneth, know?" he asked.

"I have no idea. I hope they do." answered Joseph, looking down at his lap, then turning his head back up. "Now, it's your turn. What's been going on?"

Jared sighed, biting his lip. He stared down at the floor.

"Is it okay if I cry?" asked Jared, softly.

Joseph turned his head to Jared in surprise. Cry? When did he even _begin_? "What? Why? But... yeah. It's okay. Don't be afraid, bro. It's just me."

"It's going to hurt me to just talk about it." said Jared, looking up. For probably the first time in his life, he saw his older brother's piercing green eyes turn soft, swimming behind tears brimming his eyes. All these years he saw Jared as the guy that never said anything, the guy that never felt anything, the guy that was indestructible, impregnable. He'd always looked for any weakness in his brother, but only found it now. And he had no intentions of making him feel worse.

"I can't hold it anymore."

**_k_'s next to _j_, but life isn't like the alphabet, is it?**

It was annoying to see two people so happy together. They were too perfect for each other, that it pained Karen's eyes to see them. They were sickly sweet, and it made you to run to the nearest bathroom and get rid of your breakfast every time you saw them together. In Karen's eyes at least.

To add to her pain, her sister was becoming more and more secretive around her. It was getting really frustrating, not knowing anything anymore. And she was supposed to be the officer. But forensics didn't exactly focus on psychology and all. It was mostly the interrogator's job.

Interrogator. Everything always reminded her of Joseph. It was unfair, knowing that the one she wanted was always there, yet they couldn't be. He'd even dropped a couple of hints that he liked her as more than a friend! What did she do to deserve that kind of torture? And in eighth grade, when they...

"Karen!" she snapped out of her thoughts, hearing Ingrid's voice. "C'mere. I want you to meet someone. He's just come back from England. He's my cousin from my dad's side."

"Cool." she replied, obviously not in the mood. Ingrid raised her eyebrow, but just pulled her out of the chair. It was seven AM. Ingrid concluded that either Karen was still exhausted, or was PMS-ing.

"Come on."

Probably Ingrid knew that she needed a boy in her life. To, maybe, forget about Joseph. Ingrid probably didn't know about that.

And Karen didn't want her to find out.

Ingrid managed to drag her at the waiting area near the principal's office. It was mandatory for all new, or late-in-coming-to-school students to go to the principal's office the moment they stepped on X territory. It was an unwritten rule.

There, Karen laid her eyes on one of the most beautiful boys she'd ever laid her eyes on. Standing before her in his five-foot-nine frame, was a boy, probably fifteen or sixteen or seventeen, and had a jaw that looked like it was carved by Michaelangelo himself. He had gorgeous green eyes, most likely a Third family characteristic, and shaggy auburn hair that fell to his face. He was dressed in what you would presume as a rocker's style, only more on the casual side.

He turned to their direction, and smiled brightly at the sight of Ingrid.

"Ingrid!" he called out in his deep, musical voice. Karen noted slight hints of stubble, but she thought it made him look incredibly... well, _sexy._ In the just-got-out-of-bed way.

Tsk, tsk.

"Hey Adam." she greeted, hugging him. "I'd like you to meet my friend Karen. She'll be showing you around the school."

He smiled, nearly making her heart melt. "Nice to meet you." he said. "Such a beautiful lady. The youngest and fairest features I've ever seen, yet such a mature glint in the eye. Well, that's my first impression."

They laughed.

"Well, I'll leave you two. I need to get back to HQ and go see what Jared wants. See ya!" she waved back at them.

"So..." started Karen. "Where did you come from?"

"I came from England, Karen. I was there learning studying. Though, I wanted to return to America. I've been there for nine years already, and I honestly admit that I've missed this place so much. Last time I came here was when I was fourteen years old, about two years ago." he said, following her down the hall. "The principal, she's quite nice."

She laughed. "Oh really? Just wait till she gets mad at you. You'll take that back,"

"Then I guess I'll have to watch out for her." he said, grinning. "Oh, my. I'm terribly sorry, I'd forgotten my manners. We haven't been properly introduced, my dear. I am Adam Leigh Lane, though you may just call me Adam."

He held his hand out, and Karen took it, shaking it slowly. "I'm Karen Tehama." she replied, smiling up at him. They didn't break eye contact, though Karen had pulled away a little too quickly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just tired, that's all." she said.

"That's... perfectly all right." he said, clearly affected by the little moment they shared.To break awkwardness, he asked a question. "Where's my first class? I've got Trigonometry III."

"Oh, you're a junior?"

"Yeah." he replied, nodding.

"Follow me." she said. "It's here, in the West Hall, the second floor. This is a giant school, and well, there aren't exactly any school maps being posted here."

"How inconvenient."

"Yeah." she said. "Though, I think it's best if you knew where the Safety Patrol headquarters are."

"Why?" he asked, brushing back his hair. Oh God.

"So you know... you can get help from Ingrid or something." she said.

"Or _you_. You're a pretty neat girl. The few ones I'd met so far can't make a decent conversation." he said.

_Because you kind of look like the Greek god of good looks? _thought Karen. "Well, a lot of people are like that... around people they find incredibly... _good-looking_." she said, unable to stop the words from her mouth. _He_ called her beautiful earlier, didn't he?

He chuckled. "So does that mean you find me unattractive?"

She winked at him. He was flirting! "Maybe. I guess I've seen better."

"Ouch, girl. That hurts." he said, pretending to be offended.

Suddenly, he turned to face her, and their faces were mere inches away, causing Karen to nearly gasp.

"Or... maybe I _haven't_." said Karen.

**try laughing. it's a medicine.**

"It's been a while, Fillmore, hasn't it?"

"Too long." agreed Fillmore. He was talking to Danny, who had noticed his hanging out with Penny. He knew the others noticed, but they never spoke a word of it. Probably gossip went around about him, but like all others who were topping the gossip lists, he just ignored them.

He stared at Danny. He had grown up quite a lot from Middle School. It was weird, only noticing this during high school.

Danny was actually a year younger than most of them, hence his lack of maturity back then. He had been made to study early by his guardians, since his own parents were attempting to settle a conflict at the time. He had a half-brother and half-sister, both from different mothers. He was, luckily, the legitimate child of both of his married parents. Everyone has surprises.

Hardships in life had helped make Danny mature over the past two years. He had grown into a good height of five-six, and served as the official photographer and officer. Now, you wouldn't see him acting all klutzy-- he was more careful nowadays, yet he retained his obsession for the weirdest things, like the Daybreak saga. It was a nice vampire novel, but people were way too obsessed over it.

"Why'd you suddenly go back to her?"

"Well... I really don't know, Danny. I guess I missed her."

"But you were like, pissed at her since seventh grade." said Danny.

"True. But that never meant I didn't miss her." he said. It wasn't entirely false. He did miss Penny, but in reality, he was just upset Ingrid left him. He just wanted someone to talk to, because the one person he could talk to about all his problems, was his problem.

"Point there." replied Danny. "Hey, look, it's Anza."

"You refer to him as Joseph, always, remember?"

"Well, Jared isn't here." said Danny, chuckling.

"Hey guys." said Joseph, his voice sounding a bit lower than it normally was. "Um, Jared's not feeling well today. Michael can take over today. Has anyone seen Wayne?"

"Nah. It's only, like, seven-thirty, man." said Fillmore. "You know Wayne. Likes to come just before class starts."

"Right. Karen?" he asked.

"Went out. Ingrid dragged her out." said Danny.

"Ah." he said.

"What's wrong with Jared?" asked Fillmore, hoping to avoid any mention of Ingrid or Penny.

"Well, for one thing, he didn't bother to be the one waking me up. I ended up trying to wake him." he said. "He skipped dinner yesterday, studying."

"For what?"

"Trig test and physics test today. Guess he went a little too crazy." said Joseph. Of course he couldn't just reveal what happened yesterday. He and Jared ended up talking the whole night. They'd both skipped dinner, both not wanting to end their extremely long heart-to-heart. It was girly, but sometimes, guys just needed to talk. He'd even slept over at Jared's, still dressed in what he was wearing the previous day when he'd gotten up on Jared's couch.

"Oh. The guy works too hard. It's only like, the second week." said Danny, thoughtfully. "Is he always like that?"

"Always. I don't get him." said Joseph. "I mean, he's one of the brightest people in his batch. He got the highest position he could ever want, yet he works like he didn't even have the position."

"I don't know how he can bear to hear Folsom shrieking at him every other day." said Fillmore.

They laughed. "Yeah." said Joseph. "I really don't know how."

"Is he like, approachable?" asked Wayne. "He seems so uptight that I'm scared just to be around him. It's as if his eyes could burn right through you!"

"Oh, come on." said Joseph. "The guy knows how to love. And you'd be surprised at how much he knows. He's pretty quiet, but if you get him at a good time, he can carry a conversation. A long one. You can talk to him about anything, I swear."

"Cool." said Fillmore. "Can I tell him that you thought he was gay?"

"What?" Joseph exclaimed. "Hey, I never said that. Okay, fine, I did. But only because I was thirteen, and naive, and I immediately thought gay people like, hugged people of the same gender and all! Sorry! Don't tell him that."

Fillmore laughed. "Funny. I like seeing you panic. It's hilarious."

"You suck, man." said Joseph, shoving Fillmore. He was laughing, though.

For the duration of the conversation, Fillmore forgot why he was wallowing over Ingrid in the first place. Her coming in through the door reminded him of it right away. Maybe he should laugh more. It helped him forget.

**secrets are never meant to be kept.**

Penny Madrid had never really cared about her appearances until she'd met Winston Cotter. She wasn't that pretty, but she figured she was good-looking enough not to be considered ugly. Plus, she had the alluring blue eyes everyone seemed to love staring at. Either it was that, or they were just plain freaky. She had long, naturally red hair, that fell in soft waves, framing her face.

And after Winston left, she suddenly became a vain, boy-crazy girl, who'd had more flings than she did relationships. Relationships were no fun anyway. There was only one person that held her heart, but left her during a stormy night, his words screaming her infidelities back to her. His words, stinging, making her feel stupid for even thinking that she had a chance with him.

So when he'd called one random afternoon, she just about fainted to just see his name on her caller ID. For how many years she'd dreamed of the day that he would come back to her. Now that it was happening, she just couldn't believe it.

"He's the guy that I'm sure is going to set me back to doing what's right." she told her brother.

"You keep saying that, sis." he said, not really caring. "Of all the guys you've been with. Why him?"

"I don't know. There's something about him that's... special." she said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Tell me." he said.

Penny frowned. "Ugh. All I know, is that I'd liked him from the start. Can you stop prying so much?"

Her brother shrugged. "Can't help it if it was all you talked about the past days."

"Whatever." she said, walking back to her room, to check her hair for the umpteenth time. She knew Fillmore didn't really care about looks. It was more on attitude for him, but she couldn't help it. She missed him terribly, and wanted to look her best for him.

Finally, after about ten more minutes, she heard the doorbell ring, and she jumped up from her seat to answer it.

"Jesus." muttered her father. "She's never that excited to get the door when her mother comes home."

Her brother just snickered under his breath. "She's excited, dad. Can't blame her."

"Hey." greeted Fillmore. He was dressed casually, just as she was. Coincidentally, they were both wearing blue and khaki colored clothes.

"Hey yourself." she said, smiling.

She bid good bye to her father and brother, and left with Fillmore. No more than a minute had passed, and they ran into who Fillmore was hoping to avoid.

"Fillmore?" called out Ingrid, who was, predictably, walking with Joseph. "Penny?"

Joseph didn't raise an eyebrow. Somehow, he'd known. And when he met Fillmore's eye, it said that he would help him get out of this. In that split second, he cast a glance of thanks at him.

"Hey Ingrid. An-- Joseph."

"Nice to see you." said Joseph. "Hey, Penny. Could you come over here for a sec? I need help with this." He leaned close to Ingrid, and whispered, "Babe, you and Fillmore need to talk."

He pulled a confused Penny aside, and left Ingrid and Fillmore there.

Silence.

Until Ingrid couldn't take it anymore.

"So this is what you've been hiding from me? Why couldn't you just tell me, Fillmore?" she asked, obviously controlling herself from unleashing her anger. She wasn't angry that Fillmore was going with Penny. He was free to go out with whomever he pleased. It was because he didn't trust her anymore. "You can always trust me."

"You were too busy with Joseph." Fillmore replied, bitterness evident in his voice.

"_Is that it_?" she exclaimed, with surprise. "And I thought _you'd_ be the happiest person for me! I can't believe you, Fillmore."

"I can't believe _you_. I'd given you signs, showed you I cared. Why couldn't you see it?"

"I've _had_ feelings for you, Fillmore." said Ingrid, her eyes shining, with tears, maybe; it was too dark to tell. "I've had them since I'd met you. But I wasn't sure if you liked me back. I was afraid to be rejected by you, the person I actually believed would be the closest to my heart. For how many years, I'd withheld my feelings, but now, they've disappeared. I gave up on you."

"I didn't." Fillmore said.

"Well I did. I wanted a relationship with someone else, just so maybe I could see if you got jealous or something." she said. "But Joseph, he'dshown me _love_. I don't know how he did it, but I gave up on you because he was able to make me forget two years of agony."

"I was scared, Ingrid." he said. "I didn't want to be rejected either. I want to be with you, Ingrid. You're the only one for me." He gripped her arm. "Can't we start over?"

Ingrid closed her eyes, and turned away.

"Too late now."

---

Dun dun duuuun. You must hate me for doing that. But you never know, they might get back together. Review please.


	6. Remember

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

Yay, thanks for reviews. XD Did anyone get the Daybreak crack I threw in there? It was a spoof of Twilight. Nyah. 

Just in case you're interested, I'd made some IngridAnza banner-slash-signature thingies. Here.

**cathuhhrine . deviantart . com / art / IngridxJoseph-80125560**

**cathuhhrine . deviantart . com / art / Memories-80135393**

_Disney owns Fillmore, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**- THEXOXOPLAYGROUND . NET -  
x marks the gossip spot.**

**hey love.**

Okay, I'm pissed. I need to rant, vent out my frustration somewhere, because I hate someone. I swear, it's only sometimes I get angry like this, but I just hate that person! That person just betrayed my trust, and was avoiding me to avoid confrontation. You fucking loser. Face me, because the only thing I hate more than backstabbers is a coward. I can do so much more than post your name here, but since I'm still reasonable (unlike you) I won't. This is between you and me.

Okay, rant over. Sorry, I couldn't help it. It's your loss, bitch.

Anyway, other than finding out what a bitch that person was, I'm pretty happy, because I get to throw a party! I'm not sure where yet, but it's an open party. Huge chance you might see me there, but you'll never know who I am unless you're smart. Very smart. Feel free to guess, because I'm not going to tell you, even if you do get it right, baby.

And I am so happy, because my dad got me, finally, a MacBook! It's only the 13" one, but it's absolutely gorgeous, because I designed the outside cover myself. I think it's because he was so happy to see my grades suddenly shoot up. Back in junior high-slash-middle school, I kept getting Bs and Cs, Once a D, but never an F. I intentionally got a D in Social Studies since I hated the teacher. And now, As, Bs, and Cs. Though mostly Bs. And I hardly ever study!

Guys, apparently iPods are banned within classrooms right now. Folsom says a lot of people have cheated on tests using them. I can't believe she only noticed now! That was _so_ last year! So what we do is surrender them to the teacher and get them after class, or, leave it at your lockers. I'd go with the surrendering-to-teacher option. Why? Because we'll be able to see if he or she steals it.

Anyway, I do believe I owe you guys answers. Here were some of your questions last time.

**your comments.**

**mina,** 2 days ago, 9:02:23 AM.  
hey girl can you help me cause there's this guy i like and he likes someone else and i think i'm going to go crazy if he starts going out with her cause i have a strange feeling that the one he likes is my best friend, so what should i do cause i'm so confused yet nervous.

mina,  
Whew, what a mouthful to read. Please do use spaces next time, cause I almost stopped breathing while reading that. Anyway, go get him! The sooner you let him know, the bigger the chance you can get together with him!

**grayson,** 2 days ago, 9:30:50 AM.  
there's this new guy that says he's a relative of ingrid third's. he looks pretty hot, but looks way too old for being a junior. did ingrid like, have relations with this guy? they're awfully touchy feely if you know what i mean.

grayson,  
Well, he's sixteen as far as I know. And incest plus Ingrid Third? Doesn't match, but you never know. I highly doubt it though, cause he was seen with a certain girl the other day. The whole day. In fact, he even walked her home!

**missunderstood,** 2 days ago, 1:50:20 PM.  
What's up with Jared these days? He seems so depressed and he just won't talk to me anymore!

missunderstood,  
Calm down. He's probably stressed out. And look back at what you've done. The guy is never like that unless you've made him angry. But yeah, he's been pretty sad lately. I have no idea what did that to him, but every time I see him, I wanna cheer him up the way most of us do, if you catch my drift.

**kindred,** 1 day ago, 1:23:45 PM.  
How come you gossip so much?

kindred,  
Oh, because it's a personal hobby of mine.

**ollie,** 1 day ago, 2:00:57 PM.  
Are u the girl i saw playing frisbee in the park yesterday? if you are, i must say, you're damn hot!

ollie,  
I might be. Or not. I'm not going to reveal my identity. I know I'm hot though. ;)

**Concerned Sister,** 1 day ago, 3:41:54 PM.  
Hey there. I need a little help. My brother's been acting way too distant lately. He never really showed any emotion before, but when I look at him now, he seems to be really sad. In fact, my two brothers skipped dinner the other day! Is it a boy thing to do that?

CS,  
Like us, we prefer talking to our girl friends rather than boys to talk about our problems. Same with boys. They prefer talking to each other since they understand each other better. So probably they skipped dinner talking. Some guys don't want to break conversations like that. And I guess if you want to find out, ask your other brother, or ask the troubled one yourself. Just get him to trust you. 

**eye spy.**

A **certain couple** walking together at night. Neither looked too happy, but the guy was simply the sweetest. He held the girl in his arms the whole time.

And the **other** **couple,** staying out until midnight. Wow. Is someone going back to rulebreaking, or will he bring her to the right side?

I'm going easy on the names today, aren't I? Well, I saw **someone** walking alone at night, down by the pier. They are such brothers. They even have the same comfort spot.

Aussie **Adam Leigh Lane** (ALL? That's kinda hot.) being given a tour around the school by a very pretty, lovesick girl. Though I think she's more on lovestruck right now, because of him. I couldn't even talk coherently in front of him!

School Rubiks cube record broken. _10.3139_ seconds. Congrats to **Prescott Tomlinson**.

Eighth grader **Asceline Anza** modeling for her mother's line. Wow. The Anzas sure have some gorgeous genes. Though, Asceline doesn't exactly look like her brothers. For starters, she has red hair and has violet eyes. If those're real, they're really pretty, though I suspect she, like Jared, has green eyes. If they're contacts, well, they're still pretty.

Okay, there are simply too many comments. And too many sightings. Well. What can I do? And today's a Friday! Awesome. I'm hitting the mall later. Anyone care to join? All right, I've got to go. I have exactly ten minutes to eat breakfast and head to school. Till later.

**You'll keep coming back to me.**

**xoxo.**

**_j_'s unsure of his feelings for _k_. **

Joseph was early today, since he was too lazy to take a walk to school. Jared "needed" to be early for school. Joseph decided that probably being early would help him get ahead on work. He'd been procrastinating some for the past few days, but it wasn't enough to be noticed.

He let himself inside headquarters, and wasn't surprised to see Karen already there. She was a hard worker, indeed. She'd managed to update the records in a matter of days. Though, today, she wasn't working. She appeared to be talking on the phone with someone.

"Okay, bye. See you later? At the fountain? Okay, great. Lunch out, all right? Bye." she said, smiling.

"Hey there." he said, giving her a small smile. "Who was that?"

"Adam Lane. You know, the new Aussie guy. Ingrid's cousin." she said. "He is so... _dreamy_."

"Uh-huh." he said. "How so?"

"Well... for starters, he looks like the masterpiece of any sculptor. And he's an amazing singer. And well... he's sweet." she said. "I can't believe I only met him the other day."

"Sounds cool." he replied, avoiding a tone of jealousy. How he did it, he had no idea, but probably he should go and treat himself later for being able to do so. There was something about Karen that he really liked. She was honestly the girl he thought he'd be spending the rest of his life with, but he didn't love her like the way he loved Ingrid. He couldn't make up his mind about his feelings for her.

"So, how're you and Ingrid?" she asked, her face not showing any hint of jealousy. It hurt.

"We're great. She's kind of upset with what happened with Fillmore the other night, so I'm taking her for a movie at my place tonight." he said. He was looking forward to it, because it was proably going to be the first time she would go to his house, just he and Ingrid.

"Cool." she replied. "Want to head down for some coffee?"

"Sure." he said. "My treat."

"Thanks." she said, kissing his cheek. Joseph made no reaction, but that meant something to him.

Kind of like what Karen was feeling before?

**danny o'farrell suddenly knows more than you think.**

"Hey Ingrid!" called a voice from behind. She turned, and saw Danny O'Farrell coming up behind her. When he neared, she was surprised to find herself staring up at him rather than them eye to eye. 

"Hey, Danny." she said. "What's up?"

"Well... I heard about the argument you had with Fillmore yesterday."

"I wouldn't call it an argument, O'Farrell..." she said. "I don't know. I prefer to term it as... a straightforward talk."

"Ingrid. You know it was an argument." said Danny.

Ingrid sighed. "Fine, you win. I just... can't believe he doesn't trust me anymore." she said, sighing. "It hurt so much knowing he didn't trust me enough to tell me who he was going out with. And he has the _nerve_ to ask me if we could start over, and insinuating that I should like, break up with Joseph or something."

"That bad, huh?"

"Yeah. I'm lucky that Joe's supportive and understanding. He's never easily jealous." she said.

"That's good. Joe's a very sensible guy." replied Danny. "Oh, and there he is."

"Where?" asked Ingrid, turning her head to the right. Danny pointed the other way. They saw Joseph, his arm linked with Karen's.

Danny turned to Ingrid, who gave no reaction. Apparently, the two of them were very trusting of each other in their relationship. "So you don't care if he goes with other girls?"

"Not really. He's entitled to spend time with friends. And I trust him enough not to cheat." she replied. "Besides, he hasn't spoken much to Karen. I think I took up too much of his time."

"It's nice to know you guys trust each other. Unlike Jared's girlfriend." said Danny.

"Jared's girlfriend? The Michelle girl he referred to a lot. Sounds like he doesn't even like her. What happened?" she asked.

"Well, she pried too much on his life. And well, the last I've heard, they're broken up already. I don't know who his love interest is now, though. But there's a lot of rumors going around." said Danny.

"How do _you_ know so much?" asked Ingrid, narrowing her eyes.

"Well, my um, sorta girlfriend tells me everything. Except how she finds out."

Ingrid almost laughed. "Girlfriend?"

Danny chuckled. "Tori. I kind of went through with her after we shared another fandom in Daybreak. I don't know, we must be destined for stuff like this." he said, smiling. "Sort-of girlfriend, because, we're still not sure about going steady and all."

"Oh, that's pretty cool. When did you guys, you know, get together?"

"Summer after eighth. I ran into her in a convention down at Maine." he said. "I don't know. I just really liked her... because she was the first girl to have ever showed any interest in me."

Ingrid smiled. "That's great, Danny. I hope you guys can stay together."

"Thanks Ingrid. Same here for you and Joe."

**angel in despair.**

Seventeen-year-old Angeline Tehama was busy typing up her report on the Elizabethan period, when she heard a knock coming from somwhere.

"Huh? Who's there?" she asked, checking the door. No one was there!

"Up here." replied a muffled male voice. "The window."

"Jared?" she said, surprised. It was only now that Jared had come over. She was surprised he even knew the place. But then again, they lived in the same neighborhood. Probably he saw her coming home one time. But wow, what a way to visit! She climbed up near the window, and sure enough, there he was. Jared had climbed the roof for her! She pulled open the window and let him in. 

He stepped in, kissing her gently on her lips.

A soft sound escaped her lips, and she kissed him back. "You have no idea how hard it is... to... go without... that touch... your lips... for so long." mumbled Jared, in between kisses.

"You know, you really do know how to kiss." he said, allowing her to lean on him. She rested her head on his chest. 

"I've missed you." she said. He kissed her forehead. 

"So did I. But I'm here now."

They went over to her bed and lay down together, Angeline's head on his well-defined abdominal area. 

"So what brings you here?" she asked him.

"Nothing really. I just missed you too much." he said in reply.

"But we do see each other at school." she said, holding his hand.

"It's not enough." he said. "I want to be with you. I don't want to just see you. And honestly, it's so hard to keep this thing a secret. I can't take this quietly anymore."

"But we have to. Jared, if anyone in my family finds out I'm dating someone, they're bound to keep me away from you." she said, shifting herself to lie down beside him, their faces almost touching. "I wouldn't be able to take that."

Jared sighed. "When are they going to let you?"

"After graduating. They're too scared that I might be messing around at this age."

"But why do they allow Karen?" he asked.

"They, for some reason, look out for me more. It was because of the family trip incident, remember?" she said, her violet eyes meeting his. "They never wanted it to happen again."

"What exactly happened?" he asked, stroking her hair. "You've never went beyond telling me that you almost died. What does this have to do with guys?"

"It's a long story, Jared."

"I've got all the time in the world for you." he affirmed.

"Fine. Just... hold me if I need to be." she said. Jared nodded, he knew just when someone needed support. "We went to Sun Valley, for skiing, and well, I somehow ended up near a ton of trees. I ended up hurting myself pretty badly. There was this guy that told me he'd help me out. So I agreed. I was fourteen back then, and of course, I really had no idea about any dangers. And... he took me. Somewhere I didn't know. And he... God, he molested me. And left me out in the cold. By pure chance, a patroller happened to be in that area, and brought me to the hospital. I nearly died of hypothermia. And it gave my parents the scare of their lives. By then, Karen was going with Wayne, I think. They were so young, but they were good to each other."

"Oh." said Jared. "But... did they ever find the guy?"

"No. Sadly, no." she said. "I couldn't remember a thing. He kept his face hidden. I hated that--"

She stopped, midsentence, breaking down. He held her close, gently stroking her back.

"If I find the bastard, I'll send him to jail. And make sure he'll regret doing that to you for the rest of his life." said Jared. "No one's going to hurt you while I'm here."

**face your problems, _f_. you can't run forever.  
**

"Fillmore, can I speak to you?"

"Sure Vallejo." said Fillmore, stading up to his full 5'7"..

"In my office, please." said Vallejo.

Once they were inside, Fillmore promptly took a seat. Obviously this wasn't going to be a scolding for ruining anything, since he actually took down what he'd broken ever since. Ingrid always remembered. Dammit. Ingrid.

"What's up?"

"You and Third. Don't think that no one notices." said Vallejo.

"Vallejo, I believe that's our business." said Fillmore. Vallejo sighed. He knew Fillmore was going to be very stubborn to talk to.

"It's my business when everyone in the force is affected." said Vallejo. "Whatever dispute it is that you're having, I want you to solve it as soon as possible. And work as professionals. If you can't manage to solve it, at least act professional around each other. I'm not in favor of breaking up the best duo anyone's ever seen."

"Fine. I will. But not unless she's willing to cooperate."

"Ingrid will."

"Yeah?" said Fillmore. "For some reason I doubt that. You don't know her as well as you think."

"Really now? Mind telling me what that is?" said Vallejo. "Or is it that _you_ didn't know her as well as _you_ thought?"

"Shut up."

"Fillmore, you can get kicked out of the force for that."

"_Sorry._" he said, coldly. "I just hate it when people pry into things they're not supposed to."

With that, Fillmore stepped out of the office, going off somewhere where Vallejo knew he wanted to be alone. Maybe speaking to Ingrid would be better, since Fillmore was the more stubborn one of them. Ingrid was the better listener. He resigned to reading a few magazines to pass time. He didn't exactly want to head home right now.

Someone knocked on the door a few minutes later.

"Come in." he responded.

The door opened, and Ingrid stepped inside, and closed the door.

"Hey, chief. Um, well, Tehama told me to come see you. She said you wanted to talk to me about something."

Thank you, Tehama, he thought. "Sit." he said, and Ingrid immediately obeyed. "I need to talk to you about Fillmore."

Ingrid frowned. "Fillmore? What did he do this time?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. I just... okay, look. It's no secret that you two aren't really getting along. And as I'm concerned for you, I'm concerned for the rest of the force. It's been creeping into their work. Everyone's concerned for you two,"

"I didn't mean for it to get this far." she said. "I'm sorry, but, I don't know. He's just so... difficult. Ever since I started going out with Joseph, he's been so distant to me, and when I spoke to him a few nights ago, I realized that he didn't trust me anymore."

Vallejo nodded in understanding. Ingrid saw this as a sign to continue. Vallejo had the right to know.

"He was jealous of me and Joseph, but he never told me. And... he told me that he did like me. I've been waiting for him tell me that for a long time, Vallejo, but now that he'd already said it, it doesn't seem to matter anymore, because I don't like him anymore." she said. "And I'm trying. Trying to talk, at least, but he keeps pushing me away, saying that he was only going to talk to me for work. I don't know what to do."

Vallejo stared at her. Never had he heard Ingrid talk about her personal life. And he certainly never expected her to pour her heart out to him. "Well, I tried to talk to him earlier, just so you know. Nothing happened. He just walked out on me."

"But I need to talk to him. I don't want to lost Fillmore as a friend."

"Then we'll need Anza-- er, Joseph to talk to Fillmore. He's a guy. They'll relate to each other better."

Someone knocked on the door, and pushed it open. Joseph came in, with Karen following shortly behind him. Ingrid immediately ran up to him and caught him in an embrace. 

"Anza. Go talk to Fillmore. I have a feeling he's out by the football field."

"Sure." he said, wrapping an arm around Ingrid's waist.

"And don't tell him I sent you."

"All right." 

"You know what it's about?"

"Of course. I'll be on my way." said Joseph, who released Ingrid. He kissed her forehead before leaving. "I'll take care of it, okay?"

With that, Joseph left, headed to not the football field, but the skating rink. He knew Fillmore loved the cold. And Fillmore liked it where it was quiet, where the skating rink was. The football field was too noisy, Fillmore always said. When Joseph arrived, sure enough, Fillmore was there. No one was presently skating, but the ice machine was on the rink, with the operator, of course.

"Hey."

"J." responded Fillmore.

"Dude, you have to fix this." said Joseph, leaning on the rail beside Fillmore. "I can't stand seeing you and Ingrid breaking your friendship."

"What does it matter to you, anyway?" said Fillmore. "You've got her. You've got me as a friend. What does it matter that we're friends or not to you?"

"Fillmore." sighed Joseph. "I care for the both of you. It's hard to see you guys-- the best, and closest of friends I'd ever seen--to be breaking apart because of an issue with trust. Just a year ago--"

"A year ago is a year ago. Things were different."

"Ingrid wants to remain close to you. Ingrid forgave you. Ingrid's willing to put me aside for you. What else could you ask for?" said Joseph, his voice unable to hide emotion. His face, however, remained stoic. He sighed. "You have no idea, Fillmore, do you?"

"What?"

"Haven't you noticed that your behavior has been affecting everyone in the force? People are worried over you. Just... at least... forgive her." said Joseph. He looked him straight in the eyes. "Please. For everyone's sake, please forgive her."

Fillmore shook his head. "I need to go." Joseph rolled his eyes, and gripped his shoulder, pulling him back. 

"Look, man, you can't keep running away from this. Face it." Fillmore raised an eyebrow at him, and shook him off. He strode away.

"Or are you too much of a coward to face your problems?" Joseph said, his voice, possibly for the first time, raised in annoyance.

Joseph shook his head disbelievingly. _He'll come around_, he thought. _At least, I hope he does._

Joseph made his way back to the Headquarters, frowning, since he hated being the bearer of bad news. He went directly to Vallejo's office, without bothering to knock.

"Hey, Vallejo. I couldn't convince him, but I think I struck a chord or two in his guilt." he said.

"Well, congratulations." said Vallejo, sarcastically. "I admit though I wouldn't do any better job, but Fillmore's strongest emotion is his guilt. I just hope you said enough."

"I'm sure I did." said Joseph. "If not, I'll keep talking to him, no matter what his protest."

"That's a good guy. Thanks, Joe."

"Sure." he said, stepping out of the office. He noticed Ingrid packing up for the day.

"Hey." he said. "Want me to walk you home?"

She gave a small smile. "Sure. Please do."

---

Nothing much happened really. LOL. But at least something did. Anyway, next chapter's already in the works. What do you think is going to happen?


	7. Going All the Way

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

Reviews are love. XD Thanks, guys. :D I think I need to up the rating, since the content may no longer be as subtle as I originally intended.

LOL, I think I saw the guy that I imagined as Wayne. It's the guy playing Michael Hewes in _Damages._ XD Speaking about that, I'm done with the whole season. I don't know why, but I love series that deals with law.

_Disney owns Fillmore, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**- THEXOXOPLAYGROUND . NET -  
x marks the gossip spot.**

**hey love.**

Ah, the weekend. After a whole month of school, weekends still seem too short. But hey, what can we do? You bored? I'm not, because I always have something to do. For one, do your homework. Clean your room. Go pester your little brother or sister. Go cook something. Or call a friend.

My hands are pretty full, but I always have the time to deliver the hottest rumors to you. Because from what I know, something's stirring up the Safety Patrol. I'm not about to reveal to you who, but it's two former friends feuding, and it's affecting the whole force.

The cheerleading conflict was resolved. Somebody went undercover, and managed to fix it.

It's only the start of the year, but so many conflicts are already taking place. Only nine more months to go, but there's still going to be a next year. Though I'm not sure for someone.

**the guy that's in danger..**

Someone's in danger right now. Someone is being stalked, being sent threatening notes. I know who. But I don't know who's sending them. All I can do is hope that this will all be over soon, because I'm honestly scared for him.

**eye spy.**

**Jared Anza** on someone's roof. It's not his, for sure.

**Someone** buying condoms from down town. He probably thought to go down so he wouldn't get caught. But I caught him. I wonder what he's got in store tonight. Maybe it's because he has something other than dinner in mind?

**Ingrid Third** talking to **Penny Madrid**. Hm, that's pretty interesting. They haven't talked in a long time.

**Danny O'Farrell** with his girlfriend, down at the **Dairy Bar**. I _think_ she's his girlfriend. Don't you agree? I think Danny's grown cuter over the years.

**Wayne Legitt**, talking to **Cornelius Fillmore**, going down the street at 3rd. If there's one guy that can set Fillmore to think properly, it would be Wayne, no matter how crazy Wayne's world has gotten as of late.

**your comments.**

**tammy,** Today, 7:51:34 AM.  
Hey, I think I know what_** J**_ and **_W_** were talking about in the riverbank. They were talking about how**_ J_** was going to deal with his baby! Apparently he got someone pregnant before.

tammy,  
I know **_J _**isn't innocent, but he hasn't impregnated anyone. Besides, he's only done it _once._

**frv,** Today, 9:00:34 AM.  
I heard that _**W **_sells drugs illegally. He does business down at Densdrale, guised as a poor guy!

frv,  
Okay, that's just plain ridiculous. The guy is only 14. Besides, Densdrale is a dead place. Not like anyone would be dumb enough to deal there. Police are there, hello.

**michel,** Today, 9:20:31 AM.  
I think I've seen you before. You must be that hot chick helping people out in the computer lab.

michel,  
Maybe. That's all I'm saying.

Okay, I'm going out now. Shopping with my mom. It's great, because she pays for everything! Adios, and have a rockin' weekend.

**You'll keep coming back to me.**

**xoxo**

**growing up is hard to do.**

"Wayne."

"Yes, mom?" he responded.

"We need to talk." said Callista.

"About what?" he asked, putting aside his laptop.

"Wayne, I know you've been getting threats." she said. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I didn't want you to know." he said.

Callista sighed, and stepped into his room. "Wayne. This is a serious matter, son. I thought you already knew the line between things I don't need to know and the things I need to know."

"This is going to go away."

"No it isn't!" she said. "It isn't going away until we find the source of this. This guy almost took your life!"

"I can handle it on my own."

"No, you can't." she said. "This was what Kenneth and I were trying to avoid. That's why we moved you here. It wasn't safe for you there."

"Actually, I'm glad we never stayed there." he said. "I hate Dane."

"Dane loves your father. Please leave him out of this. It's you we're talking about."

"That's the problem! Dane hates me!" he exclaimed.

"Hates? No, I don't believe so." she said. "Dane is a good character. I wouldn't see why he would hate you."

"He hates me. He never told me why."

"Wayne!" cried Callista. "He doesn't! I think you're just imagining things."

"No you're not!" he said, his fists clenching, as he stood up, walking towards the window. "You have no idea. He beat me, when they were dating behind your back. That man stole Dad from us. That man ought to go to prison just for that."

"Wayne, your father and I didn't love each other anymore." she said. "It's as simple as that."

"No, mom." he said, his hazel eyes bright with fury. "I don't believe you. I don't believe in anything being simple anymore."

"Are you saying Dane is plotting to kill you?"

"I have no doubts. And I'm sure he wouldn't be able to resist our money." he said.

"What?" she exclaimed. "What money?"

"Don't pretend you don't know. Dad's made a lot of money and is storing it in banks for us in case anything happens." he said. "And I mean a lot. Millions. And if he can get me killed, he'll think Dad might go into a depression, and will transfer what I'm supposed to inherit, to him. Bastard."

"Wayne, are you sure it's him?"

"I can think of no other."

"Wayne, it might be one of Kenneth's rivals, trying to get him to quit the deal. Please, be open-minded." she said.

"Right now, I don't care." he said. "I just want Dane to be in a prison cell for the rest of his life!"

With that, Wayne ran out of the house, not caring if his mother repeatedly called him. He shook his head, irritated, and briskly walked away. To where, he didn't know. He just wanted to be away. He let his feet lead the way, and slowed his pace. He found himself at Fillmore's house. He walked up to the porch, and rung the doorbell.

The door opened within five seconds. Mrs. Joelle Fillmore answered.

"Oh, hello Wayne." she said. "Cornelius just stepped out earlier. You just missed him."

"Oh, I'm sorry to have bothered you, then." he said, getting ready to leave.

"No, he'll be back in a while. Come on inside. We've just finished making some lemon pudding. You'll be glad to know that Ingrid's also inside." she said.

He smiled. "All right, I suppose I can stay for a while. Thanks, Mrs. Fillmore." he said, as he stepped into the living room, where Ingrid was seated there, poised as a swan.

"Hey Ingrid."

"Wayne." she said, her lips curling into a small smile. "Hey."

"What brings you here?" he asked.

"Well, I kind of need to talk to him." she said, smiling sadly. "I think now was a good time, since I was sure he wasn't going anywhere. But I was wrong."

"Hey, that's okay." he said. "Fillmore's pretty unpredictable."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." she said. "You? Why're you here?"

"I dunno, actually." he admitted. "I was just walking, and well, I found myself here. So I decided to stop by and say hello."

"Ah."

"Where's Joseph?" he asked.

A smile immediately appeared on her face. "Spending some time with his sister. Such a sweet guy. I wish I had a brother that took me shopping."

"Shopping?" he exclaimed. "Oh, God, that's new." he said, laughing.

"He pays for some of her stuff. Joseph has a huge allowance, and well, he doesn't really use it. Like us girls, we spend our allowance as we get it. And, he's got quite a lot of money set aside." she said. "Well, that's what happens when you have a huge-firm lawyer as a dad and a successful fashion designer as a mom."

"Lucky guy." he agreed."Well, how about Jared? Where does he go?"

"Joe says he's usually out of the house by eight. He's always up early. And he returns around two in the afternoon. He never tells anyone where he goes or who he's with." she said. "It's so hard to figure out the guy."

"Yeah. I wonder how he scored Miller as his.. ex-girlfriend."

"Jared's hot. But so mysterious. Girls like mysterious guys. Must be an Anza thing." she said. Wayne laughed. "What's so funny?"

"Never have I imagined hearing the word "hot" coming from your mouth to describe someone." he said.

She grinned. "It's called growing up, Legitt." she said, giving him a playful shove.

"Point taken, Third." he said, smiling. Just then, his black Motorola rang. He checked the caller ID, and saw it was Joseph. He flipped it open, and put it to his ear.

"'Scuse me for a while, Ingrid." he said, standing up, and walking to the corner.

"Hey." he said into the phone.

"Hey W." he said. "Where you at?"

"Fillmore's. Hoping to say hi, but he isn't here yet."

"Oh, cool! Ingrid's there too, right?" he asked. "Celine, stop it!" he said, laughing. "Okay, sorry about that."

"Nah, it's okay." he said. "Shopping with your sister? How come I've never heard that one before, man?"

Joseph laughed. "Dude, it's family bonding. Besides, we're going to the arcade later. Oh, no we aren't. We're heading straight home. But it's not all shopping, man. Maybe later we'll go play tennis or something. Wanna come?"

"I'll think about it." he said."Want to talk to Ingrid?"

"Of course. Thanks, man." he said. "Wait."

"Yeah?"

"Talk to Fillmore for me, aight? I need him to forgive Ingrid. It's affecting the whole force. And I've tried to talk to him. I may have been able to get him thinking, but you're the only one that can really fix this. Please?"

"Of course." He lowered the phone. "Ingrid, Joe wants to talk to you."

She smiled, as he handed her the phone. Wayne walked outside, and Fillmore almost ran into him.

"Hey, man." said Fillmore, smiling.

"Dude." he said.

"Who's there?" he asked, though he did peek into the room. Upon seeing Ingrid, he turned away and walked out of the house. Wayne shook his head, and followed him out of the house.

"Fillmore, you have to talk to her." he said, closing the door. "You have to talk to her. Please, Fillmore. Everyone's counting on you."

"I don't care!"

"I know you've liked her since before. I saw it in your eyes." he said. "I know you still do. But it wasn't her fault that you didn't admit. Quit blaming her and just forgive her. It wasn't her fault she fell in love with Joseph. It wasn't her fault that Joseph fell for her too."

"You're blaming me?" Fillmore exclaimed, looking like he was about to throw a punch. Not on Wayne's watch, he wouldn't.

"No. I'm telling it like it is." he said, straightening his posture. "I'm not saying this because someone asked me to. I'm saying this as a friend."

Fillmore said nothing. He knew that Wayne, Joseph, Vallejo.. they were all right. He was just too fucking stubborn to admit to it.

"Grow up, Fillmore." said Wayne. "Grow up. I'm leaving you to make your own decision. I'm just going to tell you as it is. But you decide how you want things to be done."

With that, Wayne walked inside the house, and a few minutes later, walked back outside, going off to who knows where. Fillmore sighed, and, gathering up his courage, went inside his house. Never had he recalled himself being nervous of confronting anyone. _Especially_ Ingrid.

Growing up? Hard to do.

**this is one hell of a weekend.  
**

Wayne left, mainly because he wanted Fillmore and Ingrid to deal with this on their own. He didn't want to be part of something he had no business in being involved with in the first place. He wanted Fillmore to be responsible for his own actions. Besides, he had a lot of other things to worry about.

"Shit." he said, and turned around. He had a strange feeling someone was following him.

Walking faster, he turned down to Main Avenue, heading for the Riverview village, where Joseph, Karen, and a few other people from X resided. Mostly, the wealthier people lived there, since most of the houses cost at least a million dollars. He liked the place, though, since it was very quiet. Joseph questioned the name, though, since it was actually an ocean that cut through between Riverview and the mainland. Apparently, the owner decided Oceanview was too common, and settled on Riverview.

Wayne was immediately let in, since the guard knew him from the frequent visits he gave to the Anzas, and his grandparents that had lived there before. Now, they were in Great Britain. It was a rather long walk up to the Anzas, since their house was in a fairly quiet and secluded area, near a mountain, surrounded by trees. It was actually scary there at night, alone. Karen lived about ten minutes away. The Tehamas were their _closest_ neighbors. The Anzas owned a huge lot, though they occupied only about one-fourth of it. The lot was an inheritance of the Anzas' father, whose parents died while he and his wife were at France, raising the then two-year-old Jared.

Wayne got up to the front lawn, and there, he saw Joseph and Asceline playing basketball.

"Heads up!" said Joseph.

Wayne caught the ball by instinct. "Dude." he said. "Hey Celine."

"Hey Wayne." she greeted, taking out the elastic band in her red hair, and retying it. She wore a tank top and shorts. "Up for a game?"

"Sure." he said. He hadn't played in a while, but that didn't mean he was rusty with his moves. He snatched the ball out of Joseph's hands, and shot one right through the hoop.

"Nice, man!" said Joseph, giving him a high-five.

Just then, Jared walked in, with who Wayne knew as Karen's sister, Angeline. He hardly ever saw her out of the house.

"Hey, Ange." said Joseph and Celine, at the same time.

"Jinx, you owe me Starbucks." they said, laughing, as they high-fived.

Jared and Angeline laughed. "Nice, you two." said Jared, as he gave both of his siblings a brief hug. Wayne smiled, mildly amused, but pleased at the family closeness.

He watched as Jared led Angeline inside the white-bricked house.

"Are they.. together or something?" asked Wayne.

"Don't think so." said Celine. "Never seen them kiss or anything. But you never know, Wayne. They're pretty sweet to each other."

"But isn't it that Ange isn't allowed to date?" said Joseph. Wayne suspected he knew something, but he didn't say anything to Joseph. Maybe it was wise to keep some things quiet.

"I think they can trust Jared." said Celine, as she shot the ball. It bounced off the hoop, but went through.

"I suppose so." said Joseph. "We're neighbors, after all. And we have been for the past sixteen years."

"Who was here first? You or the Tehamas?"

"The Tehamas." answered Celine. "They've owned that lot for about, I don't know. Centuries? As far as I know, ten generations have lived there already."

"Wow." said Wayne. "That's pretty interesting."

Joseph nodded, and he stole the ball from Wayne, shooting it through the basket. Wayne blocked it. "Well, our story is the one that you know. Our parents moved here from France after dad's parents died, and well, someone had to handle their affairs. Our dad's an only child, as you know. "

"Can you imagine," started Celine. "if we lived in France? I wonder what our life would be like."

"Way different." asnwered Joseph, as he watched Celine shoot. "We'd be talking in French."

She laughed. "_Oui_." she said, in what sounded to be an actually perfect accent.

Wayne laughed. "_Beau, mademoiselle._" Her violet eyes twinkled in amusement.

"Celine!" called their mother. "Come on inside, it's Monique on the phone."

"Okay. I'll be there!" she said. "Sorry guys, have to cut this short. See ya." she said, giving both boys a kiss on the cheek. She gave her hair a flip before sauntering off to the house. Wayne watched her walk away. He couldn't help but notice how grown, no, how _hot_ she was, for a thirteen-year-old. She was probably already beyond five-four already, for God's sake. _Anzas._ Impeccably good genes.

When he turned to Joseph, he saw him smirking at him.

"What?" he said.

"You're _staring_ at my sister." he said, snickering. "Oh my _God_."

"Joe..quot; he said. "It's not what you think."

"I don't blame ya. If I weren't her brother I'd try to be her boyfriend in an instant." he said, throwing his arm around Wayne's shoulders. "So. What'd Fillmore say?"

Wayne was glad that Joseph switched the topic immediately. Smart guy. "I don't know. After I got my phone from Ingrid, I just left. I left him to make his own decision. It's not mine. As much as I want to see them reunited again, I don't want to press Fillmore into forgiving her when he's not ready. Because it wouldn't be classified as forgiveness."

"That's right.. I suppose. Thanks, Wayne." he said. "You've done everyone a huge favor. Now.. going back. Do you like my sister?"

"Well, as a friend, yeah." he said. "She's great. I dunno.. I guess I've never seen her that way."

"What way?" he pressed.

Wayne gave him a dark look. "There's no stopping you, is there?"

Joseph snickered. "Nah. You know me. Relentless interviewer, perspicacious dude."

"Fucking mind-reader." he said. "Okay, fine. I find her hot. Ya hear?"

"I knew it." he said, smirking. "I think she likes you too."

"What the fuck?" he blurted, throwing Joseph the basketball at his head, which he, annoyingly, caught.

"I know my sister better than anyone else. Did you notice? She was always fixing herself earlier."

"Isn't that a girl thing?"

"A girl thing that exhibits signs that she likes someone. She wasn't doing that earlier."

"Joe!"

Joseph laughed. "Believe what you want to believe, man. I'm just telling you how I see it. Now come on. My mom just made some lemonade."

"Sounds good." said Wayne. "Just shut up inside, okay?"

"Whatever." said Joseph.

When they went inside, they found Jared, Angeline, and the Anzas' mother, Jacqueline, at the living room table, sipping lemonade, and talking. His mother and Angeline were quite good friends. His mother was very amiable, and loved having guests over. Every now and then, she'd be throwing a party or "social gathering," as she put it, with her high-class friends. He was never surprised to wake up with well-dressed people in his dining room in the morning.

"Hey Joe." said Jared.

"Hey Jared." said Joseph. "What's up?"

"Angeline and I are just heading upstairs to finish our essays." he said, giving her a wink. Joseph's jaw almost dropped, knowing what his brother was up to. He turned to Joseph. "So I was just wondering if you'll, you know, be able to keep it _down_ later."

"Yeah, sure, bro. Whatever you say." he said, laughing. "Sorry, I just find it really funny that you wouldn't be able to trust me to keep it _down_."

Wayne, witnessing all of this, was as confused as their mother. It was strange, seeing siblings-only language taking place.

"Cute, bro." he said, standing up. Angeline followed. "Thanks for the drink, mom. As always, it's the best." he said, kissing her cheek.

"All right." she said. "We'll, um, keep it down for you."

Jared stifled a laugh. Their mother didn't get it. "Okay, thanks."

When the two left, Joseph and Wayne took seats on the couch, and took a glass each.

"Oh, man, that is good." said Wayne.

"Thank you, Wayne." said Jacqueline. "Fresh lemonade is always the best."

Just then, Asceline went back in the room, and this time, wearing an even _shorter_ pair of shorts, and a pink tube top. Wayne couldn't help his mind wandering towards dirty thoughts, but he pushed himself not to say anything. Hormones. Damn hormones.

"Celine, put on a longer pair of shorts." scolded Jacqueline. "We have visitors."

"Not like it's obscene or anything." she said, grabbing a glass. "Not like anyone here's afraid of walking around in our underwear."

Joseph snickered, and Jacqueline raised a hand to her mouth in surprise.

"Excuse me?" said Wayne.

"Well, here at home, we don't really have a decency code when it's just us." explained Joseph. "In the morning, we usually just get out of bed and come to the kitchen to eat. Wearing whatever we wear."

"If you sleep in the nude?"

"Robe." answered Celine.

Jacqueline shook her head. "I cannot believe you just said all of that." she said, half bewildered, half amused.

"No use keeping it a secret, mom." said Joseph. "Anyone can find out and leak this information out, so why not let them hear it from the horse's mouth rather than have it twisted, right?"

Jacqueline chuckled. "Right you are, son. Well, I need to go, since I have to finish my designs."

"For Victoria's Secret?" said Celine.

"Yes." replied Jacqueline. "Do you want to come to the show with me? I highly doubt your father would want to."

"Ooh, I'd love to." said Celine. "I can only imagine.. Dad being there watching girls clad in lingerie. Ha, it'll be a sight to see."

Everyone laughed.

"Okay, okay. Have a great afternoon, everyone." said Jacqueline.

"So..quot; started Joseph.

"Uh..quot; said Wayne.

"Want to watch a movie?" asked Celine.

"Why not?" said Joseph.

"Sure."

**all the way. **

Karen and Adam were in his room, down at Sixth Avenue. No one was at her house, but she was sure Angeline could manage. She wasn't dumb. Neither was she careless. Her parents, unfortunately, were away until next week, since her father had a talk in Providence, Rhode Island, at Brown University. He was a well-known journalist, and was invited as one of the guest speakers.

Adam's parents, meanwhile, were out on their anniversary date.

"So do you want a pizza or something?" he asked.

"Nah." said Karen. "Let's cook something, Adam. It'll be fun."

He frowned. "I don't know how."

"Then I'll teach you." she said, pulling his arm. "Come on."

"Fine." he said, following her into the kitchen. "Let's just keep the phone close in case I set anything on fire."

"Let's hope you don't." said Karen.

The next hour was probably the best hour Karen ever had while cooking. Sure, Adam ruined a perfectly good lasagna and loaded the crepe with too much egg, but at least nothing caught on fire.

"Hey, at least I know how to make good garlic bread now." he said, grinning. "Want some juice?"

"Sure." she said.

Adam went back into the kitchen, and took the juice bottle, filling the glasses three-fourths of they way. Checking his back, he took out a pre-opened bottle of wine, and poured the remaining contents in their glasses. Just for fun. Tonight was special, anyway. He placed the drinks on the table, and took a long gulp.

"Adam, is it me or is the juice a little strong?"

"Yeah, maybe. But it's still good. The expiry's about a month away." he said, taking a drink again.

"Well I like it." she said. "Get me more."

He smirked. He'd been watching her all night. His eyes followed her endless legs, up to the denim shorts, the forming curves of her body, the lowness of her neckline, the perfect complexion of her face. He didn't just like her. He _wanted_ her. He wanted her like no other.

By the end of the night, they found themselves in his room. Both of them were drunk, and you know what happens when you let two drunk teens who secretly like each other to be left alone.

"Karen?" said Adam.

"Yes?"

He smiled. And without warning, he kissed her. He didn't even think about it. And to both their surprise, she kissed back. Before they knew it, they had fallen to his bed, making out like there was no tomorrow. Karen didn't know how this happened, but she didn't stop herself. And it felt _great._

He'd unbuttoned her top, and before they knew it, nothing was in between them.

"Are you ready for this?" asked Adam.

"Yes." she answered, before she could even stop herself. "Thought you should know. I'm no virgin."

"Neither am I." he said, kissing her, as they went all the way.

Hope that shed a little more light on the Wayne situation. Thanks for reading. You know what to do. (;


	8. Help Me

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

Cursing's going to be a lot more rampant right now. Hope you enjoy.

I seriously cannot believe it's chapter eight already! XD Thanks for the reviews! :D

_Disney owns Fillmore, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**- THEXOXOPLAYGROUND . NET -  
x marks the gossip spot.**

**hey love.**

Somebody did something last I checked. Oh my God. If you aren't doing it, you're thinking about it. And a certain few people have done it. Just today. I wonder what'll happen once the 'rents find out. Though one pair of parents already knew it was coming. But. The other's parents are going to kill him if they find out what they did. As if the weekend couldn't get any _crazier_!

**eye spy.**

**Joseph Anza** and** Ingrid Third** arguing, but they made up right away. How sweet.

**Wayne Legitt** spending the night at the Anzas'. Sounds like home is not the place he wants to be at right now.

**Danny O'Farrell** chatting up a cute girl at the movie house. Wow, he's growing up.

And a certain _forbidden love_ making love in his house. Like I said, it's one crazy weekend.

**your comments.**

**Lauren,** Today, 1:00:23 PM.  
Hey, aren't these officers supposed to be good examples? They're about as unruly as... the rest of us!

Lauren,  
They need to have some fun. I mean, working under pressure all day long? They need a break. I'm sure you wouldn't be able to resist doing what they're doing if you're there too. Too many hot guys to be with!

**baby pink,** Today, 1:21:49 PM.  
I like this guy. But he's, like, older, and is practically an older brother to me! What's worse, he's my brother's friend. And what's worse than that? He's having a ton of problems, so I don't know if I can approach him!

baby pink,  
_Don't be afraid_. Maybe your brother can be supportive of it. Go ask him first, _if _you're close, and get him to drop a few hints. Maybe you can even help your crush ease his pain from all the problems he's having. He might even like you back! Use your charm, good looks. And when you're with him, be suggestive, but not provocatively. You'll be sure to win him over if you're determined to. Guys like confident girls. But not overconfident ones.

**cmarie**, Today, 1:30:21 PM.  
I've skipped my period this month. I'm scared that I might be pregnant. If I am, how do I break it to the father?

cmarie,  
Didn't you use a condom? Wait for a few weeks. If you're prone to mood swings, and have morning sickness, it's a telltale sign. Go take a pregnancy test, maybe a week later, and if it's positive, you have to tell him. Be straight to the point. And it's up to you two to decide what to do with the baby. Good luck, and chin up!

**dani**, Today, 1:31:02 PM.  
Does the Anzas' father really work in the Charles & Williams law firm? I think he's the one trying our case.

dani,  
He does. And that law firm happens to be one of the very best, if not the best law firm here.

**hazelnut,** Today, 1:31:39 PM.  
How would you know if you're gay?

hazelnut,  
If you're liking someone of the same sex? Wanted/wanting to kiss someone of the same sex? A lot of signs, but it's entirely up to you to believe what you are. Once you've made up your mind, then you can choose to let it be known or not.

Nothing, just a quick post. Thought you should know. I'll probably do an update later, maybe tomorrow. Depends on when I'm up to it.

**You'll keep coming back to me.**

**xoxo**

**oh no you didn't.**

Penny gasped. "Oh, Fillmore!" she exclaimed. "Hey. What's up?"

Fillmore smiled. "I kind of want to avoid my house. There's someone there... that I'm trying to avoid."

"Oh." she said. "Well, don't just stand there. Come inside. My brother and dad are out. I'm not sure when they get back though."

"Thanks, Pen." he said. She giggled.

"What?" he said.

"I like it when you call me that." she replied.

He grinned. It was his special nickname for her since before, and it still was. "Come here." he said, as he took her in a hug.

Ingrid, meanwhile, was getting tired of waiting. She'd waited about two hours already, and this was too much. Fillmore was deliberately trying to avoid her. But she knew where he would be. Ingrid was a lot of things, but she wasn't stupid.

She picked up her handbag, and went to the kitchen.

"Hey, Mrs. Fillmore, I've got to get going." she said.

"Is Cornelius here yet?"

"No, actually, no." she replied.

"What?" she exclaimed. "He said he be out no longer than three hours! Well. Go on your way, Ingrid. I'm very sorry to have kept you waiting. I'll tell him to go to yours when he gets back."

"No thank you. It's perfectly all right. I have an idea or two where he might be." she said.

"Ingrid... can I just ask you something?" she said.

"Well, sure." said Ingrid. "Anything."

"Have you two argued recently? I've noticed he hasn't been calling or talking to you recently." she said.

"He and I are okay." lied Ingrid. She hated lying, especially to Fillmore's mother, but she had to. "It's just that we've both been busy lately."

"Well, all right." said Mrs. Fillmore. "I'm just worried about him."

"He'll be fine." she said, as she was leaving.

"Or maybe not." she mumbled, as she shut the front door. "Mother_fucker_." she hissed under her breath, as she walked her way to Penny Madrid's house. She had no intentions of leaving there without answers.

She reached her destination. She peeked into the window, and saw that no parents were there. She tested the door, and found it unlocked. She turned the knob, and pulled the door open. She entered, unsure of what to expect. She stepped into the den, and found Fillmore and Penny, fully clothed, but doing in what she perceived to be the nasty.

"What the fuck?" she exclaimed. Both Fillmore and Penny's heads raised in surprise. She immediately ran out of the house.

"Shit, shit, shit!" she repeated, hastily making her way back up the block. She didn't believe what she saw. She pulled out her cell phone.

"Fuck, Joseph. I cannot believe what I just saw. I am heading there right fucking now." she said. She was angry because she'd left ten messages, or even more, on Fillmore's phone, and he never replied to them because he was screwing with Penny. Hell, she never expected Fillmore to do anything of the sort.

"Babe, calm down." said Joseph. "I'll come get you there, okay? Please, relax."

"I can't! Fuck!" she cried.

She heard Joseph sigh over the phone. She hardly ever cursed, and Joseph knew she was upset. Really, he couldn't do anything to calm her down once she'd gotten all worked up. All he could do was go there, and take Ingrid's mind off of it. Whatever _it _was. "Hey, I'll make it fast. Where are you?"

"I'm heading for Main."

"All right. Please, just calm down. I hate hearing you like this."

She sighed. "I'm sorry, Joe."

"It's all right, babe. Just take care of yourself, all right?"

"Of course. Joseph?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Joseph smiled. "I love you too. Bye."

"Bye." she said, smiling. She shut her Nokia, and made her way to Main Avenue, when she heard fast approaching steps coming up from behind her. She turned, expectantly. And there Fillmore was, catching up to her.

"What do you want?" she said, coldly. She was still walking, however, and was already at Second.

"Ingrid, I've thought about it."

"Talking to me after fucking with Madrid? What the hell. I don't get you anymore, Fillmore. I've tried reaching you. I left over ten messages, and you never even bothered to reply to a single one." she said.

"I'm sorry, Ing." he said. "You know me. When I'm angry, I avoid people."

"Can't say the same for Penny." she retorted.

He glared at her. "Don't, Ingrid." he said. "I'm trying to talk to you."

"Just as I have been trying to do for the past _weeks_." said Ingrid. "Now you know how it feels. Guess we're even."

She sped up ahead, and was almost to Main Avenue, leaving Fillmore stunned at what he heard. He followed her._ Maybe five more minutes to Main_, thought Ingrid.

"Ingrid. I'm already willing to listen to you." Fillmore said. "Come on."

"Why should I listen to you? You don't listen to _me_."

"Because I've realized you were right, Ingrid."

Ingrid made no reaction, but Fillmore could tell that he struck something with Ingrid. "You were right. To put it in shorter terms, I was an asshole. A jerk. Stubborn. So Ingrid, I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I mean, I never imagined you and Joseph. I thought you were mine."

"People don't belong to people, Fillmore." she said, flatly.

"I know that. But I was never open-minded enough to accept that it was going to be Ingrid and someone else. What was always in my head, was Fillmore and Ingrid. Ingrid and Fillmore."

"I've always been here for you." she said. "_You _left."

"Only because I thought you did."

Ingrid's green eyes met his. "You thought wrong."

"And I'm sorry. I didn't like you being taken away from me like that."

"I fell for Joseph, and he fell for me. It's no one's fault." she said. "If you had anything to say, why didn't you say it earlier? Nothing's ever stopped you from running your mouth off."

He kicked a can. "It was the disgusting sweetness of you and Joseph. I didn't want to break that. I'm not totally heartless, ya know."

"But I prefer _truth _over sugarcoating." said Ingrid. "You, of all people, should know that."

Fillmore sighed, exasperated. "How long are you willing to keep this cold shoulder act? I don't want to anymore, Ingrid. I'm ready to forgive you."

"So forgive me. I need time to do the same for you." she said, stoically. "After what I saw today, I don't know what to think."

"It wasn't what you think it was. We were only making out, Ingrid. Nothing wrong with that." he said.

"Do you love her?" she asked, rather abruptly.

"Penny?"

"Who else?" she replied, not hiding any bitterness in her voice.

"Ingrid, I can't answer that."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not sure."

"So now you're going to play the guy that hooks up with random girls until he finds the one he wants." she said. "Pretty nice reputation, _officer_."

"Hey, you'll regret saying that." he said, his eyes flashing. "I am _not _hooking up with her."

"What the hell, Fillmore? Make up your mind about her. Find out what she is to you." she said. "Because I'm sick of all of this bullshit. I'm sick of your _I don't knows_ and _I'm not sures_. Make up your mind. I hate indecisiveness, Fillmore."

He paused, gritting his teeth. They were at Main Avenue, standing in front of Starbucks.

"You want me to make up my mind? My mind's made up."

"About what?" she asked, masking her interest with a bored tone.

"You." he replied, and without warning, kissed her on the lips.

Ingrid broke away, shocked. "You shouldn't have done that, Fillmore."

"Hey!" said a voice. The pair turned to the road, and across them, was Joseph Anza, coming towards them with quick steps.

Oh _shit_.

"What the fuck was _that_, Fillmore? I can't believe you!" he cried, his crystal blue eyes darkening with anger. _Fuck, that was scary_, thought Fillmore.

"Anza..." he said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Joseph was _dangerous _when angered, as far as he'd heard. In the years he'd known him, Joseph had never so much as yelled out of anger in front of him. Seeing and hearing him angry was a new thing for him.

Joseph shoved it off. "Fillmore, I saw that. _Don't_ lie." he said, his voice injected with a venom he never knew he possessed. "From now on, stay away from my girlfriend. Don't bother making any more moves, or you will regret it."

He stormed off, muttering profanities under his breath. Ingrid was unable to say anything, out of surprise and because of the suddenness. She quickly followed Joseph, leaving Fillmore behind.

"Joseph, please, don't do this."

"He fucking kissed you, Ingrid." he said, his eyes not blinking. "I may be lenient, but I do _not_ appreciate other guys trying to kiss you!"

"I'm sorry, Joseph." she said. "I didn't mean for you to see that."

"Just... do not let him do anything like that to you, ever _again_." he said, his voice straining to keep calm. "Or else I'm going to have a fight with him."

"Joseph, please don't fight him."

"Did you feel anything?"

"What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Did you feel _anything_?" he asked, again, with slight impatience this time.

"I don't think so." she said.

"You don't think so." he said, his eyes glaring a hole through her. Damn. Lawyer instincts ran through his veins. Desperate, she grabbed his arm.

"Joseph, please. It just happened. I didn't want that to happen, nor do I want that to happen again." she said. "I don't want to strain our relationship because of one meager thing. Joseph, I love _you_. Not Fillmore. _You_. Now please, stop it. I don't want to see you like this anymore." She held out her hand.

He sighed. "Fine." he said, taking her hand, and kissing it. "This will _not _come between us."

"Thank you, Joseph." she said, smiling, as she threw her arms around him, and kissed him.

"All right." he said, finally cracking a smile, as they broke apart. "Now, I'd like to hear your side. What _did_ you see earlier?"

"Just don't kill Fillmore, okay?"

"I promise." he affirmed.

**dad gets_ j_&_j_'s language.  
**

Angeline Tehama opened her eyes, and smiled at the sleeping form of Jared Anza right beside her. She pulled down the blanket, and took notice of the clothes scattered around the bed.

"Oh my." she said, though not shocked. She had a great time the night before. She took her phone, which was placed on the night stand. She checked her mailbox, and heard several messages from her parents, just checking in and reminding them about house care. None were from Karen, which was both relieving and slightly worrying.

She assumed that Karen was out herself.

In any case, she dialed Karen's cell phone. After a few rings, it went to her mailbox.

"Hey Kar, it's me. Just wanted to let you know I slept over at the Anzas. And I'm fine, okay? They took good care of me. So, I hope everything's all right there. I'll be home by tonight or later afternoon. Take care, sis. Love you." she said, and clicked her phone off.

She felt arms around her waist. "Love who?"

"You." she replied, kissing his forehead.

"Just what I wanted to hear." he said, pushing himself up. "Ah, what a nice morning."

He took his own cell phone, and saw five from Michelle. That girl just never gave up. He'd listen to it later. He turned it off and placed it back on the nightstand.

The two proceeded to take a shower together, and headed downstairs to the smell of apple-cinnamon pancakes being cooked. Joseph was in charge of cooking them in the pan, Celine mixing the batter, Jacqueline in adding the syrup and toppings, Adam, their father, was to take care of the drinks. And Jared, was in charge of setting up the places for the day.

"Late by ten minutes, son. What kept you?" asked their father.

"Sorry. I think I stayed up too late." he lied. Well, it wasn't entirely false... he did stay up late. He caught Joseph biting his lip to prevent bursting out in laughter. For some reason, he found it funny that Jared was doing their neighbor.

His father chuckled, seeing Joseph's face. Jared cursed under his breath. Somehow, his father _knew_. Apparently, their dad understood their sibling language.

"All right then. Just wondering... to be sure you're _safe_."

_Shit_.

"Always, dad. Always." he said, not willing for the others to understand. Talking about _it _in the morning would definitely cast an uncomfortable air for everyone. Even if they _were _all old enough.

Luckily, no one but Joseph actually seemed to get what his father was implying.

"Where's Wayne?" asked Jared, as he took out seven breakfast plates.

"Oh, he's outside taking Christmas for a walk." said Celine, who looked all dreamy just thinking about him.

"Ah. Why?" Jared asked, wanting to spare any boy talk from her. She still seemed too young. And he still needed to watch out for Wayne. Folsom was still breathing down his neck about it.

Christmas was their pet Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, which they had gotten for Christmas five years ago, from their grandmother.

"He wanted to. Christmas actually likes him." he said, smiling at Wayne's affinity with animals. "The guy loves animals."

**help me.**

Wayne was walking in the park with the Anzas' dog, Christmas. He allowed the pet to be free of its' leash, while he walked close by, watching it play with the other dogs. He watched them, and his eyes followed an American Eskimo running to its' owner.

"Karen?"

"Wayne!" she exclaimed, as she ran over to him, the white dog following close by.

"Hey." he said, pecking her cheek.

"What're you doing here?" she asked.

"Slept over at Joe's. I don't feel like going home." he said.

"Oh." she said. "Why not?"

"It's a long story, Kar." he said.

"Wayne, your mom's probably worried sick about you." she said. "Did you at least call her?"

"No, actually, no." he admitted. "I guess she really ticked me off yesterday."

"What happened?" she asked. She knew she was prying, but in truth, she'd been worried about Wayne ever since he'd come back. It was scary to see how much he'd changed.

He sighed. "She went all touchy about dad." he said. It was true. But he wasn't ready to tell her everything.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Wayne. I... didn't mean to go on a touchy topic." she said.

"Nah, it's cool." he replied. "I'll get through this."

"Call me if you need help." she said.

"Thanks." he said. "So, how's your life been these days?"

"Kinda busy. I'm really happy to have found Adam." she said, blushing at what happened the night before. "It's amazing how he helped get my mind off of things."

He smiled. "Tell me more."

"He's Ingrid's cousin. I dunno, she must've sensed my lack of male affection." she said, shrugging. "And Jared didn't even go to school when she introduced me to him. I guess I was pretty miserable."

"How nice of Ingrid." he said.

"Yeah." she replied. Wayne heard a ringing sound. He pulled out his phone, but it wasn't his.

"Hey, is that your phone I'm hearing?" he asked Karen.

"Huh?" she said, as she fumbled for her phone in her tote bag. "Oh, yeah. I'll have to take this. Bye, Wayne. It was nice seeing you." she said, as she kissed his cheek. She put the phone to her ear, and walked away with her dog.

Wayne returned to watching Christmas. He checked the time. It was eight-thirty, and no doubt that breakfast was starting. He had a feeling that he was keeping them, so he took the leash with him, and walked over to Christmas.

"Hey Christmas!" he said. "Come here girl." he said, as he made his way towards the dog. The dog immediately went over to him and he pet her, attaching the leash.

Something was probably wrong, because Christmas started barking.

"Hey, hey, what is it, girl?" he said, hoping to calm the dog down. He saw her looking at something behind him, and turned his head. But it was too late. Something heavy collided with his head several times, and he soon found himself staring at the concrete ground.

He felt his head was immobile. He waited a few minutes, to ensure his attacker had gone, so that his phone would not be taken while he attempted to call for help.

The colors were fading, and with all his strength, he took his phone from his pocket, and pressed a random number on speed dial. Once he heard a hello, he said the first thing that came into his head.

"Help me."

Eeek. Poor Wayne. D: Well, that's it for this chapter. Thanks for reading, and in advance, for reviewing. (;


	9. Too Much for a Day

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

No post from the anonymous gossip queen for this chapter. This one is more on a continuation of the last. (;

_Disney owns Fillmore, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**- THEXOXOPLAYGROUND . NET -  
x marks the gossip spot.**

**wouldn't we all want to know who _w_'s attacker is.**

"Wayne? Wayne!"

And the line went dead. Joseph muttered a profanity under his breath. He had an idea or two where Wayne could be, but he was afraid to see what happened to him. He had excused himself to take the phone call. Luckily, breakfast hadn't started. They waited for Wayne.

He ran downstairs, only in his undershirt and a pair of shorts. He took a jacket from the coat room, and ran outside. Jared was outside, trimming a shrub.

"Joseph!" exclaimed Jared. "Where're you going?"

"I need to find Wayne. He's in trouble."

Jared took a breath. "I'm coming with you. If it isn't safe for him, it isn't for you."

Joseph didn't object. It was safer to have Jared with him. He waited, and in ten seconds, Jared had sprinted up to the house and back, with a jacket of his own.

"Where do you think he is?"

"Park." said Joseph, his steps quick. "The only place I know he could go to with Christmas. Unless he was ambushed on the way back here."

"Ambushed? What--"

"Jared, later." he interjected. "I'm not sure. But it's my gut feeling that he got beaten."

"Shit." muttered his brother. "Let's get running. For all we know, the assholes could still be there."

Joseph didn't answer. He just ran, and made it to the park in five minutes. It was normally a twenty-minute walk. He arrived, out of breath, and immediately his eyes found a body lying on the ground, a small puddle of blood staining the concrete. There were a bunch of people there, looking on. Someone was talking on their cell phone, probably calling an ambulance.

"Wayne!" he cried.

"You know this guy?" asked a man he knew as Lon Marcus. He nodded.

"Where're his parents? He's definitely not from around here, uh... Joseph." he said. They'd seen each other in the park a few times. Riverview was a a large place but there were more trees than people that actually occupied it.

"I'll call them." he said.

"Good. Mr. Sanders is calling an ambulance." he said.

"Tell him thanks." he said. Jared arrived, looking as breathless as he was thirty seconds ago. Only, Jared carried a blood-stained aluminum bat, with a pair of rubber gloves on his hands, of course.

"Fuck!" he exclaimed, the moment his eyes found the blood.

"Call an ambulance, Joseph." said Jared. "Now."

Joseph's thumb dialed the emergency number. Jared nearly dropped the bat upon seeing Wayne. He wanted to run and check, but it was probably a stupid idea to even move his head. He knew basic first aid, but it was best to leave it to the professionals. On the other hand, just to be safe...

He headed over to Wayne and placed the bat where he could still see it. He knelt on Wayne's side, who was in a facedown position, but his head was turned to the side. He opened Wayne's eyes, checking for a concussion. He, unfortunately, had one.

Joseph hung up. He promptly headed to Jared's side.

"So what is that and where'd you find it?"

Jared turned up his head. "Obviously, it's a blood-covered aluminum bat. I found it discarded near the fallen oak while we were heading up. It wasn't obvious from where I was standing, but there was a silver something I noticed. And there it was."

"And the gloves?" he asked, gesturing to Jared's hands.

"Oh, I grabbed a pair from the coat room. You know how mom likes keeping stock of anything and everything." he replied.

He nodded. "You're right." Matter of fact, he found a pregnancy testing kit in his bathroom cabinet one day. He wondered if his mom really put it there or mistook it for Asceline's. Then again, they weren't on the same floor.

Jared sighed. "Folsom's going to kill me come Monday."

Joseph nodded.

"And I don't care. I just want Wayne to be okay." he said, making Joseph look up from his phone in surprise. Jared immediately averted the topic. "Call Karen. She's the forensics expert."

He nodded. Joseph never admitted, but he always had trouble thinking of what to do in situations like this. He needed people to order him around for him to be able to do something productive.

He pressed 4 on his speed dial, and put the phone to his ear.

It rang only one time before the girl on the other line picked up.

"Joseph?"

"Hey, Karen. Come over here in the park. Something came up, and we need your help. _Please_." he said. "Bring your dusting stuff, plastics, q-tips, everything you need for examining this place."

"What happened? I was just there about twenty minutes ago." she said, peeking out of the window. Nothing too suspicious from what she could see at the park, so, probably the horde of trees blocked it.

"Really? Did you happen to run into Wayne?"

"As a matter of fact, yeah."

"Were there any suspicious people in the park?"

"No. The only people there were me, Wayne, Mr. Close, Mrs. Schide... that's all I remember."

"All right. Thanks, Kar."

"Wait. Joseph."

"Yeah?"

"What happened?"

"I'd rather you come here yourself. I don't want to say so over the phone."

Karen sighed. Joseph was difficult to convince, so she just left it at that. "All right. Call Ingrid, call Fillmore, Danny, and everyone else. We'll probably need all the help we can get."

"Thanks." he said.

He dialed everyone's number. Fillmore's and Vallejo's went straight to voice mail, and Joseph guessed that they were either asleep or having breakfast. Danny and Ingrid were both on the way.

The ambulance had come, and they loaded Wayne unto the van. Joseph hadn't called his parents yet. He sighed.

"You!" said Lon, pointing at Joseph. "Go with him. He'll need someone he knows in case he gets up."

Joseph turned to his brother.

He nodded. "Go ahead, J. I'll take care of things here."

With that he made his way to the ambulance, and seated himself while he was watching Wayne being treated. He waited until the hospital to call, since he wasn't sure if he was permitted to call in the ambulance or not.

**finding things always has good and bad effects.  
**

Joseph called her right in the middle of breakfast, but the subtle urgency in his voice made it clear to her that he was completely serious and needed her. Ingrid made no objections and practically begged Ariella to take her there, since she wanted to get there as fast as she could.

Ariella scowled. "Fine."

"What's with you these days?" Ingrid asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Nothing!" she all but screamed. She took a breath, and her eyes softened. "Sorry. I'm just... having a really weird week, that's all."

Ingrid raised an eyebrow, but made no more questions. Probably just PMS or something.

Ingrid dressed in the first outfit she found-- a pair of black satin shorts and a light blue cashmere sweater that Joseph had given her a week ago. She quickly dressed and lined her eyes with black kohl and swiped on her lips her LipSmackers grape.

Ariella changed into a pair of jeans and was combing her hair. She had her car keys in her hand.

"Come on."

They passed an ambulance on the Bridgeway Drive, and Ingrid thought she glimpsed at Joseph inside. She wasn't sure, but she was getting more worried by the second. Finally, they arrived at Riverview, and she went to the park. The place was so full of trees, but thanks to her photographic memory, she managed to remember how to get there.

She ran to Jared, who was talking to Karen.

"Jared!"

He turned to her. "Ingrid." he said.

"Where is he?"

"Joseph's with Wayne."

"Well, where are they?"

Jared frowned. "Joseph didn't tell you?"

Her eyes widened. "No."

"Ingrid..." he said, sighing. "Here. See that blood over there? It's Wayne's. He was assaulted earlier, that's why Joseph called. He's with Wayne, on the way to the hospital. The ambulance you probably passed earlier."

Ingrid was unable to say anything, and her lip was trembling. She'd heard Wayne talking to Joseph once, and this confirmed it. She wasn't only scared for Wayne, but for Joseph too. She had a feeling Joseph would be involved in it, no matter what anyone, even her, or Jared, would say.

"Ingrid, talk to me. What's the matter?" he said, placing what he hoped to be supportive hands on her shoulders. It worked, because Ingrid opened her mouth to say something. The Anzas had a strange calming effect when they wanted to get tense people to relax.

"Joseph... I know..."

"Know what?"

"He's involved. Somehow. And nothing's going to stop him from finding the assaulter." said Ingrid, taking a breath. "And... he's going to get hurt. It can't be changed."

"Oh God. Please, not him." he said, his green eyes wide with fear. "No."

Ingrid shook her head, and walked towards Karen. Jared didn't want to leave the girls alone, even if Danny was there. He didn't doubt that Danny would be able to watch over the two, but something might happen, and he just wanted them to be safe. All of them. Young as he was, he already had a paternal instinct.

"Dig into the history of someone named Dane Brink. He's Wayne's step-father." said Ingrid.

"Okay." said Jared. "Danny."

"Yeah?" replied Danny, a little too surprised that Jared was talking to him. Not that he'd done anything wrong, but he secretly feared the guy.

"Go get my laptop from my room. It's next to Joseph's upstairs." he said. Danny was occasionally invited up there for a few card games, but Jared found no reason to speak to him before. Friends were not what Jared pried upon in his brother's life.

He tossed Danny a set of keys. "It's locked. Use the silver one with the J on it."

Danny only nodded, and ran off to the direction of the house.

Jared and Ingrid looked around the surrounding perimeter of the park, hoping for some evidence. He was reluctant to leave Karen behind, but he wouldn't allow Ingrid to venture into unfamiliar territory. Karen wouldn't leave. She wanted to keep trying to find even the faintest clue as to who the goon was.

The only thing she found was a strand of curly blond hair. It could've been anyone's, but she wasn't throwing it away. Who knows, it could have been Wayne's attacker's. It was a long shot, but in her years of work, everything suddenly became important.

She was so absorbed in her work, that she hardly noticed Danny coming back with a laptop bag. She knew he was there but didn't exactly know why he went away.

"Dan?" she called.

"Yeah?"

"Where've you been?" she asked.

"Up at the Anzas. I managed to avoid any questions. Jared wanted me to go get his laptop." he said.

"Was my sister there?"

"Yeah. I was surprised she was." he replied. "Why?"

"I don't think she came home last night. I'm just making sure she's all right." she said.

"Anything happen?" asked Danny.

"Well... it happened a long time ago, but you don't need to worry about that. What's done is done." she said. Danny pushed no further. He knew when to stop badgering others. Karen had grown more patient with him over the years. It was a welcome change, but he still wasn't quite used to it.

"Oh... um, sorry to bother." he said. "Where's Jared?" he asked, clearing his throat.

"Out, scoping the place with Ingrid. You should probably stay here. I need someone to keep an eye out for anything."

"Okay, whatever you say." he said.

Meanwhile, Jared and Ingrid were going around in the surrounding forest, in hopes of finding any clues or anything that was out of the ordinary. Jared knew the place well, since he'd been exploring the place since he was a child. Ingrid herself had difficulty finding her way, since the trees all looked the same. But right now they were following a trail that had come up about five minutes into the walk.

"I used to leave Joseph in these woods." said Jared. "He hated me for it back then, but now he's thanking me."

Ingrid laughed. "Why? Why'd you leave him?"

"Just so he could find his way around. I'd always wait for him outside, near an oak tree. He slapped me after each time he got out." Jared said, laughing at the memory. "He knows the place more than I do now."

"But why did you want him to know the place?"

"Our father did the same to me. My mom disagreed at first, but she approved once my father explained that it would be good for escape routes in case of any emergencies." said Jared, holding up a tree branch for them to pass under. "So far, we didn't have to use it, but better safe than sorry."

"Oh." said Ingrid. "How about Celine?"

"Joseph follows her just to make sure. He's actually very effective at stealth, thanks to Fillmore." he said. "I suck at that. I'm better off barking orders."

Ingrid laughed.

"Hang on. What's this?" Jared wondered aloud, as he walked off the trail.

"The trail--"

"It ends in fifteen meters or something. We'll keep checking later." said Jared. "I just noticed something weird."

He motioned for Ingrid to follow. She did, and she soon saw what Jared was talking about.

It was a baseball glove.

"Oh shit." said Jared.

"What, why? It's just a baseball glove." she said.

Jared bit his lip. "Not just anyone's. Mine."

"What?" exclaimed Ingrid.

"I haven't seen the thing in over five years." said Jared, as he picked up the glove with a latex glove covering his hand. He sighed. "Someone broke into the attic. But the bat isn't ours."

A few minutes later, they set out to follow the trail. Jared said it led to a stream, and if their hunch was correct, the guy or girl took off in that direction, leaving behind what they hoped to be footprints.

Like Jared said, the trail eventually came to a stop, but Ingrid could hear the stream.

A few more minutes of walking proved them right. Footprints were there. Fresh footprints. Jared took out his cell phone.

"Another one?" asked Ingrid.

"Dad randomly buys us new stuff. It's weird, but hey. Who wouldn't refuse a new phone?" he said, grinning. He snapped pictures of the print. "Too bad I didn't bring stuff for a mold."

"A picture's good enough, Jared." said Ingrid. "You think we should follow the trail?"

"Yeah. Who knows what could still be there." he said. "Get on my back. We're crossing the stream. I don't think you'd like those shoes dirty." he said, gesturing to her white slip-on Keds.

"I had no idea I'd be trudging through a forest." she admitted, and she allowed Jared to lift her off of her feet. Her weight was probably nothing to him, since she felt his tightened muscles as she held on.

Fifteen minutes later, Jared frowned, stopping in his tracks. "I doubt we'll find anything more. The more we go forward, we'll be headed for the mountains."

She sighed, and a sliver of light caught her eye. "Jared. Over there."

"What?"

She led the way, and he followed her. They came upon a silver chain. Ingrid picked up the chain, which had a charm on it, and read the inscription.

_L & C Legitt._

"Oh my God!" she cried, nearly dropping it.

"Ingrid, are you all right?" he asked, and took the silver chain from her hands. He read the inscription, which had the C partially scratched out.

"Oh God." he said.

Both turned their heads, and found a man tied to a tree. He was bleeding from the head and on the shoulder, but otherwise, he was still alive and breathing. He was coughing.

Jared took out a Swiss knife and cut the ropes quickly. This was Wayne's father, Luke. He didn't know why he was there, but he needed to keep him alive if he wanted answers.

"Hey, hey!" he said to the slumped figure. "Are you still okay?"

"Find Addison." he croaked to Jared, as he grew limp. His eyes closed, and he moved no more.

"Oh, God." muttered Jared. "Wake up, please!" he yelled, shaking him. He took out his cell phone and dialed emergency, explaining the situation. He also told them to bring with them Joseph, who was at the hospital. After hanging up, he called his brother.

"Joseph. An emergency team will be picking you up in a while over there. Go wait outside, by the guard. When you get here, go to the pine trees about fifteen minutes away from the stream. Wayne's dad is here. He's dead."

"Dead? Jared..."

"Questions later." said his brother, his tone firm. "I need to go."

He heard Joseph sigh. "Okay... Bye. Love you."

"Love you too." he said, closing his phone.

"Is Fillmore coming?" asked Ingrid.

"I don't know, Ingrid. I hope he will." said Jared. "Why?"

"Did Joseph tell you?" she asked. "About the whole Fillmore thing?"

"No, but I had a strange feeling he didn't want Fillmore around you." he said. "Anything happen?"

She sighed. "Never mind. I think I'd rather let Joseph tell you."

"What do you feel about my brother?" he asked, suddenly. He caught her look of doubt, of him not keeping a secret. "Don't worry. I won't tell."

"Jared... I honestly don't know. I mean... I like him a lot. Everything he does... everything he is..." she said. "Sometimes I think he's too good for me. He gives me everything, and I really love him. But I feel like I can't reciprocate all his selflessness."

"That's Joseph for you, Ingrid." he said. "He cares more about others than himself. Just don't betray his trust. It's difficult for him to forget."

The two remained silent, watching over Wayne's dead father, waiting for help to arrive.

**digging into the past.**

"Hey Fillmore." greeted Karen. So far, no signs of Ingrid or Jared. It had been an hour, but Karen managed to hook up Jared's laptop to the community's WiFi. She was just starting the search for the guy Dane Brink.

"Hey T, Danny." he responded. "Sorry I was late. What's with all the blood?"

"Wayne's." replied Danny.

"What?"

"He's at the hospital right now, with Joseph. Jared's with Ingrid, somewhere in the woods. I hope they didn't get lost." said Danny. "Good luck with following them. The ground's pretty dry, so I don't think their footprints will be very visible."

"Yeah." he said. "Do Wayne's parents know?"

"I don't know with Joseph." said Karen. "I think he called them already."

"I'll call them." he said. "I need to know if they're okay too. His mom probably passed out."

Fillmore took out his cell phone and dialed Wayne's home phone. After several rings, a male voice answered.

"Hello?" said Kenneth, slightly flustered.

"Hey Ken. How is she?"

"Oh, hi Fillmore. Well, she fainted when Joseph called. She's just in bed right now. Jesus, this is getting way out of hand. I called the police. We need to find out who that wretch is."

"I know. If he hasn't killed Luke yet, he's probably plotting it already."

Kenneth groaned. "Exactly. We were so worried that Wayne didn't come home yesterday. I think he and Callista had a fight yesterday, and I think he got too upset. Thank goodness he was with a friend."

"You know Joseph. Always hospitable." Fillmore said.

"All of you are." he said. "It's been hard for Wayne this past year. I believe he's still alive because he's in good hands. We moved him here in hopes of avoiding any suicide attempts. He was very insecure in Tennessee right after Dane and his father's relationship came out."

"We'll make sure nothing happens."

"Thanks Fillmore. Just take care of yourselves too. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt when this is a family thing."

"We'll be okay."

"All right, thanks for checking in. I really appreciate your doing this for Wayne."

"Okay. Good bye, Kenneth."

And he hung up. Fillmore walked over to Karen.

"Mind if I do the research?" asked Fillmore.

"Sure, go ahead." said Karen. "I still have to bag some stuff."

As the minutes stretched on, Fillmore grew more and more absorbed in his work. And he grew quieter and quieter. Each page he read surprised him more than the previous. He cursed several times under his breath, and searched more and more until all the information he found had the same context. He cursed again, before catching his breath to say something.

"Guys." Fillmore started.

"What?" responded Danny and Karen.

"We're dealing with a serial killer."

This really isn't going the way I originally planned. Darn my overstuffed-with-ideas-head. I think I'm loading this with way too many conflicts and adding too many complications. But hey, that's what makes a story, right? Conflicts. Okay, stop now. I'm going crazy. :P


	10. Talk and Listen

The Playground

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

Yay for reviews! XD Haha. Here's the next chapter. Hope it's okay! And **tacks**, I couldn't agree more! Fillmore is so unappreciated. Don't worry. I plan to finish this fic. ;D

More weaving conflicts, and more torture for everyone. Sorry, I can't help making things more complex than they already are. :P

_Disney owns Fillmore, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**- THEXOXOPLAYGROUND . NET -  
x marks the gossip spot.**

**hey love.**

It's come to my attention that practically everything I report is true. I must be amazing. Pssh, as if I didn't know that already!

Anyway, I'm sure you've heard about what happened just this weekend. You're probably thinking: shoe sale at the mall, I know, and the trunk show at the **London-Schiesctel**, and the seventy-off sale for cosmetics at the department store... and buy one take one lingerie for a limited time in** Victoria's Secret**...

But actually it's none of the above (though I did pick up a couple of things at all of them), since something bigger happened, and **W** won't be attending school for a while. He's currently in the hospital, with his mother and step-father constantly by his side. His father's funeral will be next week. His wake will be open for visitors at the **Siegerich Ymbert Funerary, room C**. I think it'll mean a lot to them if you go, even if you weren't or aren't close to the family.

Everyone's talking. **Folsom**'s freaking out, even though it didn't happen in the school. It's fortunate for her that it didn't, actually.

But the only answers we want are who did it, and why they did it. We already found out the where and how, but I'm not going into detail. It's a bit disturbing. No, not just a bit, _very_.

**other gossip.**

**Someone**'s (let's call her **AR.T.**) becoming _way _cranky these days, and actually missed her monthly period. This can't be good. Sometimes messing around has its' consequences. So like I said before, use _protection_!

A **certain girl**'s been hooking up behind her boyfriend's back. Not like this hasn't happened before, but she's a girl you'd never expect to be even thinking about doing that.

**Someone **almost got deflowered! Whoa, and the poor girl's only a frosh. But it's not like there aren't any freshmen that aren't so _fresh _anymore.

For all the techies, XHS will be hosting the annual **TechVention **this year, this December, right before Christmas break.

**Lauren Molina** dropping school for acting? No way, girl. You'll regret dropping school, even if it _is _a big pain. It's part of your youth.

**Riverview residents**, you may want to read the first posts below.

**your comments.**

**salima**, Today, 7:21:04 AM.  
I live in **Riverview**, and my father happens to be one of the guys that saw the scene. It's scary to know that a guy's on the loose, possibly ready to kill anyone in the community! And some reported losses of knives, baseball bats, alcohol, working gloves, hell, even a gun... tools to kill! Ugh, I want to leave town just for this.

salima,  
Oh dear. Well, it's too late to leave. You've still got school. Meantime, just be safe. Have someone with you at all times. Lock all doors and windows every night. Keep stuff locked up, and anything potentially dangerous out of sight. Be strong, and careful.

**OLLIE**, Today, 7:25:03 AM.  
I was at the hospital last Sunday for my monthly check-up, and to my surprise, I saw** J **there, and I saw him being taken away by some police team. I heard he was framed for selling **X**.

OLLIE,  
Is that so? Well, I doubt it, cause **J**'s no druggie, but it could happen. He's been pretty quiet lately. Maybe he's been too tied down by **I**. But didn't the police take him back to **Riverview**'s park? Oh well, whatever it is, we know there's trouble.

**eye spy.**

**Angeline Tehama** coming out of the restroom, looking worried. I wonder why.

**Janice Lyons** given a thousand-dollar shopping spree for her birthday. Some girls get all the luck. Sweet, sweet sixteen.

**Jamie Walker** signing up at Carroll's Gym. As if she needed to get any thinner.

**Carlos Vivendi **signing up for the talent show.

**Tawny Hindsdale** kicked out of some store at Fifth Avenue. I don't know what she did, but she probably pissed off the manager with her "Save the Deer" protests.

Well, I've got to go now. An early post, I know, but I got up early just for a long, relaxing morning bath. I can't wait to use my new **Body Shop** Dreamboat Milk Bath. I've heard it's such a treat for my skin! Bye now.

**You'll keep coming back to me.**

**xoxo**

**careful with the bathroom gossip.**

"The police are already looking into it. So the stuff used to kill Wayne were taken from residents in Riverview to avoid any records of recent purchases, or descriptions about who he is. Clever." remarked Ingrid, as she told Principal Folsom about all the findings.

"The fingerprints are from a guy called Addison Douleur. _Doeleur _is French for 'sorrow.' He was previously unknown to the police, until today, and showed no criminal records. He, in fact, showed exemplary performance as a student, garnering an A average and graduating salutatorian in elementary and high school." added Fillmore. "How he is tied to this case, is the false name he used, and the manner by which the victims were killed. In the past crimes, he left no trace, no nothing."

"That's why the police assumed that the families were killed by someone they knew." said Karen. "This time, however, he probably panicked, even though he managed to escape and kill one member of the family."

"Well done, officers." said Folsom. "How's Wayne?"

"He's in a comatose, diagnosed with a concussion." said Joseph. "The doctors say he'll probably be out of it by the end of this week, or maybe in the middle of next week. He was hit three times by the bat. He may display the common symptoms like forgetfulness, becoming emotional, cranky, uninterested, disoriented, nausea, lack of coordination, balance, lack of attention... but he will return to normal after a lot of rest."

Folsom nodded. "His mother and step-father?"

"At the hospital, right beside him." answered Jared.

"Well, I suppose I've been informed well enough. Let Wayne take all the time off that he needs. And keep an eye on him. But I do not want any one of you to become directly involved here, understand?"

All of them nodded.

"You are dismissed." she said.

Without a word, all of them exited the office quietly. Once the door closed, Ingrid pulled Karen into the restroom. The restroom wasn't marked a restroom, so only people who knew the school, or people who found it randomly, used this bathroom, hence its' emptiness.

Thus why it was known among the people that knew about it as the gossip bathroom.

Fillmore, Joseph, Jared, Danny, and Vallejo just decided to go back to headquarters. Without talking, all of them seemed to agree to going back, figuring it was girl stuff that they needed to do, and they didn't really want a part in that.

"I, what's the matter?" said Karen. Karen and Ingrid usually referred to each other by their initials.

"I'm worried about my sister." said Ingrid. "She's been so moody lately."

Karen raised an eyebrow. "Maybe she's stressed." offered Karen. "She's a senior, right?"

"Yeah, but aside from that, she's been really cranky lately." said Ingrid. "It's kind of getting on my nerves, and my dad's, even though he's never actually admitted it."

Karen shrugged. "Maybe her red days are coming."

"She's never been _that _irritable." said Ingrid. "Besides, she should have had it like, a week ago."

Karen bit her lip. "Well, the only things I can think of is a problem with self-image, a problem at school, relationship... and um..."

"What?"

"Pregnancy." said Karen, looking as if she shouldn't have brought it up. It hit Ingrid like a slap on the face, but it was a possibility. Now, the hard part. She needed her to confess or at least find out if she was pregnant.

"Shoot." said Ingrid. "I honestly hope she isn't. Dad might freak out."

"Well, I can't say anything for your dad, but I would support Ariella no matter what." she said. "Get her to trust you. I know it'll be hard, since even my own sister doesn't exactly trust me. But you and Ariella, you're close. Or used to be. But she wants someone to tell everything to, everything she's feeling."

"She can come to me." said Ingrid. "I've always been here."

"She's frustrated. She's probably thinking of what you would think of her."

"You're right." said Ingrid. Karen, for some reason, was incredible at understanding people. It was another valuable skill she didn't know anyone other than Joseph possessed, thus maybe landing Karen a spot in the interrogation room with him. She should talk to Jared about it later.

Careful, I. Things might happen inside that interrogation room...

**when your girlfriend says that you need to talk, you know something bad's about to happen.**

Giovanni closed his Nokia. Ariella wanted to talk. And from all the movies and TV series he'd seen, those four words only meant that something was up, and that he was going to hear something he didn't want to hear.

He'd agreed to meet her by the wall, the wall on the far east side of X High, behind the gymnasium. Hardly anyone went there, but the wall, for some reason, was the typical place where people talked. Talked about serious stuff, at least.

While walking, he hardly even noticed his surroundings, since he was thinking of what might happen when he got there.

What if she was dating someone else behind his back? Or what if she wanted to break up? He scratched his head, and continued the trail of worried thoughts. He and Ariella hadn't fought. Not yet, in their three months. So what did she want to talk to him about? This was his best relationship ever since he'd gotten here three years ago, and it was going to hurt to end it.

He continued walking, almost tripping over a fallen tree, as he passed along the park.

Several minutes later, he saw Ariella pacing along the perimeter of the wall. She was wearing a green sundress, and he couldn't help but notice that her face was thinner, paler. Why didn't he notice this last week?

"Ariella!" he called. She turned to him, and ran into his arms. He felt her shaking in his grip.

"Shh, it's okay. I'm here." he said, soothingly rubbing her back. "What's wrong?"

"Giovanni..." she said. "I don't know why I haven't told you before..."

"What?"

"I'm so scared... and I really don't know who to turn to." she said. "I've been raped."

Giovanni let out a gasp.

"What? Who? Ari, what happened?" he asked.

"Last month... Kristy and I went for a girls' night out, and we ended up in Red Triangle." Red Triangle was a club and bar, known for their Red Triangle martini. "Then, some guy handed us what we presumed to be our drinks. Turns out we were wrong."

"They took us out. Kristy didn't drink, and must've broken away or something, because I knew I was alone. And... it happened. Three guys... using me... as their..." she stopped, remembering the scenes in her head.

"It was terrible!" she blurted, breaking down in his arms. He'd been too stunned to say anything. All he could do was hold her.

"Does... anyone else know?" he said.

She shook her head. "No one would understand."

"Yes they would." he said. "Ingrid. She's your sister. You can tell her anything, right?"

"Anything but this mess I dragged myself into."

"It was an accident, Ariella." he said. "Not your fault."

"It was. If only I hadn't gone there in the first place!"

"Ari, you wanted a little fun. It's okay. It's not your fault." he said. He was hurt that any other man would hurt his princess, but he couldn't do anything about it. And that fact hurt more. "I love you. No matter what, I always will."

He didn't expect anything like this at all. Which meant that if Ariella wouldn't let anyone know, _he_'d let someone else know. Even if she despised him for doing it, it was for Ariella's own good. Starting with her sister.

**it's weird for boys to talk things out instead of fight.**

Fillmore was busying himself by re-reading over the case files. Somehow, there was a lot less cases to fix. Every now and then, there'd be protests, a vandalization, someone losing something... but they pretty much solved them in no time. Truth be told, they weren't as busy as he thought they would be.

It was a good thing and a bad thing, but for Fillmore, more on a bad thing. There wasn't much to do but desk duty. Fillmore loved action. Chasing was a lot tougher here, since he wasn't very familiar with the school yet. So far, he'd found three secret passageways in the school, but he had no doubts that there were more.

He sighed, and put down the file. A tall figure stopped in front of his desk.

"Hey." said Joseph.

"Hey yourself." he said. "Listen--"

"It's okay, Fillmore. You're forgiven. I'm sorry." said Joseph. "I didn't mean to be so rude... it's just that I couldn't stand the thought of Ingrid being with someone else."

"Dude, she's yours. I don't think she'll forgive me yet." said Fillmore.

"What exactly did she see you guys doing?" asked Joseph, his light blue, almost silver eyes, wide with curiosity.

Fillmore chuckled. "I'm surprised she hasn't told you. Penny and I were making out and I think she was at the wrong place, the wrong time, thus at an angle that made her think we were doing the nasty."

"Oh..." said Joseph. "Sorry for asking."

"So am I allowed within a ten-foot radius of her?"

Joseph smirked. "Of course. No funny business, man. I'll still be watching." he said, with a wink.

"Where are you off to?" asked Fillmore.

"Heading to the hospital to check up on Wayne. I'm sure Kenneth can use the help." he said, taking his coat from the hanger. "Coming?"

"Sure." There wasn't anything much to do here, anyway. Except more tickets for overdue sports equipment, which he knew Isaac Dean could handle on his own. He was quick with paperwork and had a ridiculously long streak of patience, even for things as tedious as those.

Fillmore, meanwhile, couldn't even sit still after writing five. He'd managed twenty in one sitting, but he still hated it.

"What about Jared? Not waiting for him?"

"Heading straight home. He has some law thing due, I dunno."

"Law?"

Joseph chuckled. "Took an extra class. Kinda like pre-pre Law. The guy's ambition is to be a lawyer."

"Man, I wish I were more like him." said Fillmore.

He snorted. "I can't believe he's in practically every AP, the head of the force, and takes extra classes. He pretty much forced me to go in all the APs. The teachers are definitely better, though. I don't know what I want for college."

"Man, what a brother." commented Fillmore. "I dunno, I'm thinking medicine or engineering."

Joseph turned to him with genuine interest. "Cool! I don't doubt that my dad and Jared will press for law. I like law, really, but it's the number of years that appalls me. Pre-law requisites. Gah." he said.

They reached outside, and they saw the silver Lexus waiting for them.

Fillmore let out a low whistle. "Hot ride, man."

Joseph grinned. "The advantage of a vain and very materialistic father."

Both teens got in. The Anzas' father was handsome and sharp-looking, with a very defined jaw and piercing blue eyes. Like all of the Anzas, he was tall, bordering somewhere between six-five to six-seven. He had jet-black hair and a well-built body. He appeared no less than thirty, but he was already in the early forties.

"Hey dad." greeted Joseph.

"Nice to see you, son. Hello, Fillmore."

"Good evening, Mr. Anza."

The ride to the hospital was relatively pleasant, with topics mostly on current events, college, school, and went on to cars, sports... Fillmore barely ever saw him when he'd come over. This was the first time he'd actually talked to him, but he liked him already.

"Thanks for the lift, Mr. Anza."

"Bye dad." said Joseph.

"Be home by eight, young man. Dinner can't wait too long."

Joseph suppressed a laugh. "Yessir."

"All right. But you're cleaning the dishes tonight."

"Darn." he said. "Okay then. Bye, dad."

"Bye Joseph."

"Nice." Fillmore said.

"What?" said Joseph, blinking innocently.

Fillmore laughed. "Dishes for being late?"

"Oh." he said, chuckling. "Family rule."

**everyone seems to be out tonight.**

Danny and Ingrid went to the funerary, since Ingrid had the intention of going, while Danny had a ride. So, they ended up going together. They went inside, and eyed the men in suits sitting and standing about the room. Ingrid recognized them as the undercover agents that were watching over the people.

She walked to the black coffin, touching the smooth black surface. His face was perfectly still, and completely pale, compared to his picture on the side. For a man about forty-four years old, he was still ridiculously good-looking.

"Such a waste of a good life." she murmured.

Danny didn't look at the dead body. He was still sensitive to deaths, but he wanted to go and pay his respects. He wondered if Wayne would get out of the coma, to see his father for the last time. Danny felt a pang of sadness for Wayne. It was bad enough he was in danger. It was worse that he would never see his father again because of some wretch.

"Dan? You okay?" asked Ingrid.

"I was just... thinking." he said. "I wonder if Wayne's going to get up soon. I hope he does. I hope he can at least see his father one last time."

"Oh." she said, giving a small smile. "I hope so too."

"Ingrid... is everything okay?" he asked, in a hushed tone. "You seemed pretty worried when you dragged Karen into the bathroom."

She sighed. "I'm just worried about Ari. She hasn't been herself for some time."

"Oh." said Danny. "I'm sorry. I'm no help. I'm not too good with girl stuff."

Ingrid chuckled. "It's all right, Danny. She'll come around."

Her phone vibrated in her pocket.

"Hold on, I'll just take this." she said.

"It's okay, I'm heading out. Do you still need someone to take you home?"

She shook her head and mouthed him a "thanks."

She pulled it out and flipped it open. She pressed it to her ear.

"Hello? Giovanni?" she said.

"Hey Ingrid." he said. "Can we please meet somewhere? I need to talk to you. It's about Ari."

She gasped. "Is everything okay?"

Giovanni sighed. "No. Where are you now?"

"Funerary at Fourth Avenue."

"Okay, can I meet you at Osper Plaza, in Starbucks?"

"S-sure." she said.

"Be prepared. This isn't going to be an easy thing to take."

And he hung up. Ingrid nearly dropped her phone. Somehow, it sounded more like a threat. But this was for Ariella. She needed to find out what was wrong with her sister.

Twenty minutes later, she was sipping a chai latte, and across her, Giovanni was sitting, drinking espresso.

He sighed. "Ingrid, she came to me this afternoon. She's scared, Ingrid."

"Of what?"

"Ingrid. Do not react violently." he said, his light brown eyes staring at hers. "Ariella was raped."

Ingrid's eyes widened. She didn't know how to react to that. "H-how? What?" she stuttered.

He nodded, his lips pressed together. "Three guys, she says. She and a friend went to a club, but her friend went off. She was alone."

"What do we do?" she asked.

"I was hoping you'd know." he admitted. "Ingrid, this has to get out. I want to do her justice."

She nodded in agreement. "I'll try to talk to dad... to Joseph's dad! He's a lawyer. And, maybe I can get her to test for pregnancy. I'm hoping she isn't. She's under too much stress."

He nodded. "Good idea." he said. "I'll try to keep her safe. If she hates me, please talk to her. Tell her I did this because I love her."

She smiled. "Of course."

That's chapter ten. I'll get the next one out soon. Thanks for reading!


	11. Waking on a Wednesday

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

I actually wrote this (the outline, at least.) while waiting in the huge line at the Department of Foreign Affairs. Haha. Thank goodness there were seats! Once again, thank you so much for reviewing! Here's the next chapter. Slightly based on episode 13 of GG.

If this suddenly becomes sentimental or overly dramatic, blame Idol Gives Back. I dunno, after seeing the show and looking at the outreach stuff we did, it kind of put me in a sentimental mood. XD

_Disney owns Fillmore, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**- THEXOXOPLAYGROUND . NET -  
x marks the gossip spot.**

**hey love.**

Honestly, I couldn't believe it, guys, but here, in front of your very eyes, is a picture taken yesterday afternoon, by my very reliable source, **JenWave05**. She was at a local drugstore down at Second Avenue, and Jen managed to get us this picture of **Ingrid Third **buying a **ClearBlue pregnancy testing kit**.

You saw it, you decide if you believe it.

**Now**, my questions are:

**One**, is she really with a child? **Two**, what will her boyfriend make of this? **Three**, is she covering it up for someone else? Four, who's the father? And **five, **when _did _she lose her V-card?

**your comments.**

**krissykins**, Today, 7:11:32 AM.  
I've heard Ingrid's hooked up with five boys since the start of the year! Including her boyfriend's _brother_! Come on, isn't she a little too unruly to be an officer? And what with this pregnancy rumor...

krissykins,  
It's just gossip. Relax. It's fun to spread stories and keep people guessing. And a lovely way to get back at people.

**Mike**, Today, 7:15:47 AM.  
I saw Fillmore and Anza enter the hospital together. Are they friends already? P.S. was that a Lexus that Anza owns?

Mike,  
They've always been. They just had a little squabble over someone, but they're cool. And yes, the Anza own a Lexus. I wouldn't doubt if they had Lamborghinis and Porsches in that garage of theirs!

**eye spy.**

I'm still buzzing over the recent news, so don't count on too many, my honeybees.

A certain Aussie in a beach, talking to some girls. More like, flirting. What will **K** make of this?

And a certain red-headed girl(let's call her **P**.) calling from a downtown phone booth. Nothing out of the ordinary, but her face told me otherwise.

Time to go! I've got to buy something from that new downtown dessert place at Fifth Avenue later. I've heard it has the _best _cheesecake _ever_.

**You'll keep coming back to me.**

**xoxo**

**_i _had better be thankful that _j_'s a rational fellow.**

"Joseph!" shrieked his younger sister, Celine.

Knowing his sister never screamed in the morning, Joseph assumed that this was urgent and bad news. If this was a fashion emergency, he was going to kill her, but Jared would stop him.

Oh, isn't it hard to be naturally stylish?

He raced to her room, the same time as his father did.

She closed her laptop when she saw her father enter the room. "Uh... I just needed to get his attention." she said, obviously lying.

Her father raised an eyebrow. "What're you hiding?"

"Nothing, nothing!" she said, looking at Joseph with pleading eyes to get their father out. "Just a fashion emergency!"

Joseph rolled his eyes.

"You're a little too well dressed to be in need of help." said their father.

Her father pushed through the room, and lifted the laptop. Celine was biting her lip, but didn't stop Adam from seeing the website, with Ingrid's picture on it. She was buying a pregnancy testing kit.

Joseph bit his lip to keep his jaw from dropping, but his eyes widened in horror. He and Ingrid hadn't even come close to having sex yet! If she were with someone else... he trailed off, not wanting to imagine what and who she did. But still, he knew Ingrid was still a virgin.

"Isn't that your girlfriend?" his father said, turning to him with a look that Joseph identified only as the "Lecture Time" look. Which was pretty much a mix of disappointment, shock, and quite possibly, anger.

"Yeah... but we..." he started.

"Let's head out, shall we, son?" he said. Joseph only obeyed. They'd just finished breakfast, and Jared and Jacqueline were probably in their rooms, making the bed and getting dressed.

"Didn't you use any protection?" said his father.

"Dad... it's not what you think." he said. "We've hardly even done anything aside from kiss and make out!"

"Then how can you explain that?"

"Dad, she might have bought it for someone else. I highly doubt she'd done stuff with other guys yet..." he said. He genuinely believed that Ingrid wasn't pregnant, but just in case, he wanted to support her no matter what.

His father nodded. "Well, I'll take your word for now. But if I hear I'm going to be a grandfather, you're going to be toast."

"Yes dad." he said. It was the only thing he could really get out now.

"Head back up. You look terrible." he said.

Joseph rolled his eyes, and he pulled open his walk-in closet's door. When you had a mother for a designer, you'd be the first to try out her new creations. And her friends' creations. He peered at the mirror, and frowned. Yeah, his hair was indeed a mess. Like his dad said, he looked terrible.

Yeah right, he did. In a house full of impossibly gorgeous people, you'd probably be grateful to look half as beautiful as they were right out of bed.

**to think people didn't read gossip sites.**

Ingrid had left the pregnancy testing kit in Ariella's cupboard. Yesterday afternoon, she and Ariella fought, the first after they'd fought years ago. She went out of the house, and saw the drugstore. She shook her head, and went inside to buy her a testing kit. If she didn't want to talk about it, at least she would know if she were pregnant.

So when she entered the halls of X High School, she definitely wasn't expecting to be eyed by every person in the hall. It became eerily quiet when she walked.

Guys and girls stopped what they were doing to look at her. Ingrid had checked herself thrice in the mirror to see if anything was wrong, and she definitely didn't find anything wrong with a pale, green-eyed girl, dressed in a pair of dark-wash denim cutoffs with a simple gray slouchy shirt, with a white top underneath. There weren't any zits on her face, so _why _were they staring?

She pulled out her cell phone, and a message from Karen made clear what everyone was thinking.

_**I**, have you seen the gossip site's latest rumor? It says you might be pregnant, since you were seen buying a pregnancy testing kit yesterday. I'm here if you wanna talk, okay? -**K**._

She glared at the next person that stared at her.

"I'm not pregnant." she said, and walked to the headquarters, ignoring all the other people staring at her. People were whispering already, and she knew they were spreading even more rumors.

Inside the office, people tried not to stare, but they were terrible fakers. She decided that saying she wasn't pregnant wasn't going to change what they thought of her.

She ignored everyone's curious looks. She just went to her desk to work, but not before checking out the website that everyone seemed to be reading. And she thought people just dismissed this sort of stuff!

No one dared pester Ingrid about the rumors.

Well, thank God for that.

When she read all the rumors being spread about her on the site alone, she felt her blood boiling. One rumor was that she slept with five guys, including her cousin and Jared! What the hell? Another wrote that she took the job at the bookstore to support her child! And another said that she was a whore by night.

"This is shit." she muttered, and closed the browser. If she read any more, she might've destroyed the computer right then and there, and probably be suspended off the force for a week or so.

Minutes later, Joseph entered the room, his direction undoubtedly heading for Ingrid. On his face was an unreadable expression. He didn't appear angry, insulted, or irritated at the least. He kept his eyes trained on her. Everyone was dying to know what was going on, and all chatter in the office died down, presumably to listen to whatever they were going to talk about.

Honestly, Joseph didn't care. In fact, he didn't mind everyone hearing them. He didn't care about what they thought. This was his and Ingrid's, and they were just mere spectators.

"Ingrid." he said, seating himself in front of her desk.

Her eyes widened. "Joseph! I--"

He shook his head, and placed a finger on her lips. "Before you say anything, I just want to let you know that no matter what it is, I'm going to be here for you and I'll support you no matter what, because I love you. Okay? Now... why'd you buy it?"

For a moment, Ingrid looked confused, but she regained her composure. "Joseph, I'm not pregnant. I haven't even gone past making out with anyone, all right? I bought the kit for someone."

He smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. It's just that Celine completely panicked, and my dad saw the thing on the site and--"

"Shh." she said. "That's enough. We'll talk later. You've got classes in a few minutes."

"Okay." he said. "Don't leave out a single detail. I love you." he said, kissing her on the lips, and left Ingrid with a small smile on her face. He grabbed his books and headed out, for AP Algebra.

Ingrid relaxed in her seat. At least someone believed her.

She took her book bag and walked outside, heading to AP trigonometry, still not free from the stares and whispers of her schoolmates. She heard the same stupid rumors being repeated and made worse. She rolled her eyes.

Ariella had better be thankful that she took the bullet for her.

**when you read a note not meant for you, you might regret reading it.**

Fillmore went to English class, and for some reason, it was abuzz with morning gossip. Some were casting a few glances his way, but he didn't really care. The ride with the Anzas' father was two nights ago, thus it was yesterday's news. So what rumor was going around now?

Mr. Cutting, the young, new teacher, entered the classroom, and class began. Normally, the class was pretty quiet, since most of the girls were busy pretending to take down notes while staring at him. He was more good-looking than most teachers, Fillmore had to admit, but it wasn't anything to be crazy about.

Girls.

He snorted, but somehow, the whispering kept going on. He felt a paper shove into his hand, and the guy beside him, Clarence Rollins, one of the football quarterbacks, motioned for him to pass it to Alaina Lawford. He was assumed to be a bully, but was actually one of the nicest guys at X.

He frowned, and opened up the note, and Clarence made a horrified face.

_Alaina, I heard that Ingrid's covering it up for someone. But really, I wonder who the dad is? Anza or Fillmore? This is the biggest scandal I've heard of in a while! :D -Clarence._

Fillmore passed on the note, confused. Father of what? He took his notebook, and wrote on it, passing it to Clarence.

_Dad of what?_

Clarence raised an eyebrow, and took out his pencil, writing on the notebook. It took him a while, leaving Fillmore to wonder why he was writing something so long. A few minutes later, he passed it back to Fillmore.

_Dude, where have you been? Haven't you heard the latest gossip on X's gossip webbie? Come on. Anyway, there was a picture of Ingrid buying a pregnancy testing kit, and well, why would she buy it unless she were pregnant? Of course, I doubt she is, but I really don't see a reason why she would buy it. To me, she still seems virginal, since I know that she and Joseph have barely done anything past second base... so yeah. She doesn't strike me as the cheating type, though. So there._

Fillmore's eyes widened. Ingrid pregnant? He'd have to talk to Joseph about this, since he still obviously cared for Ingrid. He wrote on it again, not before passing the note Alaina handed him.

_Some serious shit. I think I'll go talk to Anza later. I doubt he'll lie about stuff like this._

He passed the note back to Alaina, and handed his notebook to Clarence. He quickly read it and wrote a reply.

_Go do it. And go write a comment to Miss Gossip Queen. I'd hate it for Ingrid's rep to turn bad cause of one misconstruing picture. Oh man, I hope Folsom doesn't find out! _

The notebook was handed back to him, but he didn't have time for a reply, because the teacher called him to answer a question. Something about Macbeth.

After English, Fillmore took out his Nokia and typed in a message to Joseph.

_Dude, what the hell with the rumor?_

He got a quick reply.

_Still in class, man! Okay, let's talk later. Take Ingrid and Karen... let's go meet at the docks at recess. But let's get one thing straight: I did not have sex with her!_

Fillmore frowned. If Joseph didn't, what _was _this about?

**recess time. where you at?**

The bell for recess rang, and Ingrid pulled out her phone. It had been vibrating, signaling messages, for the past half hour, and she fought to resist checking it.

14 new messages.

She opened one from Joseph.

_Hey, let's go meet at the docks at recess. I want Fillmore and Karen to hear what we have to say. Love you.  
_

Another from Fillmore.

_Docks at recess. Seriously, this rumor is so effed-up!_

And she opened the other from Karen.

_I, you going to the docks now? I'm heading there right after Chem, so see ya. -K._

The rest were messages from other numbers she didn't know, sending questions and random perverse messages. She deleted them all, not wanting to read them. She deposited her books in her locker and went to the West side of the campus, where the docks were located.

This was a special spot for them. Joseph had always found the sight of water and boats at bay comforting, while Ingrid loved the air and the feel of the wood at the docks. She smiled, seeing Joseph sitting there, his feet in the water.

She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Hey." he said, putting aside his shoes. "Glad you came."

She sat down beside him."So what? Do we wait for them?"

"Mm, yeah. But I really want to hear why you bought it first." he said.

She sighed. "It's not for me. It's for Ariella."

He turned to face her. "Ariella?"

"Yeah. Something happened." she said. "She got raped some weeks ago."

"Oh my God... I'm sorry." he said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "If there's anything I can do--"

"Can you talk to your dad? Find her a lawyer or something?" she asked, her green eyes pleading.

"I'll see to that, all right?" he said. "Really, you could've asked me to buy it."

She laughed. "And risk 'Male Pregnancy' headlines for you? Don't think so."

He laughed.

"It's okay, Joe, really. Those're just rumors. In fact, I'd like to play with them a little." she said, a mischievous glint in her eyes. It was weird how Joseph could manage to make her happy that quickly.

"Really now. You plan to tell them we're having twins?" he said, grinning.

"I was thinking triplets... but that's okay." she said, laughing. He kissed her neck.

"Oh, stop it." she said, giggling. Just then, she eyed Fillmore and Karen coming down from opposite directions. "We've got company."

"What? So quick? Oh well. Later, then." he said, giving her a wink.

"Hey guys." greeted Karen.

"Yo." Fillmore said. "So... what's this about?"

"Sit down." said Joseph, with a serious face. Ingrid turned around to suppress laughter. He was going to play around with them first before they actually got down to it.

"Okay." he said. "We're having twins."

"What the?"

"I thought--"

"Yeah." Joseph said, nodding his head. "Sorry... I didn't trust cell phone messages. So we'll be dropping out of school and I'll be working double shifts at the diner to help pay for all the bills... and I think my dad's disowning me..."

Ingrid burst out in laughter. Karen and Fillmore were staring at her, confused.

Eventually, Joseph started laughing too. "Oh man... if you only saw your faces..." he said, in between fits of laughter.

"Not funny." growled Fillmore. Karen laughed too.

"Come on, Fillmore. Lighten up." she said.

"Okay, okay... sorry." said Ingrid. "We couldn't help it. Now, here's the real story. Don't tell anyone _yet_..."

Careful, **I**. Things can get out before you even know it.

**waking up on a wednesday and scaring the living daylights out of your friends.**

Joseph and Danny were visiting Wayne that evening. Along the way, Joseph told the sort-of truth about Ingrid buying the kit. He left out the part with Ariella, since he knew Danny had a habit of sleep-talking.

Wayne was still in his coma, his flickering eyes and minimal movement the only signs that he was still alive. Aside from the heart rate, of course, but if it weren't for the machines, you wouldn't be seeing them.

It was strange seeing Wayne in such a state. It put Joseph in a sentimental mood, mostly because he had his favorite aunt die in a hospital, in front of him. The hospital depressed him, but he'd never actually admitted it to anyone.

He entered the room, and saw Wayne, probably dreaming or something. Maybe making contact with his dead father. It's said that if someone who died had unfinished business, their spirit would make themselves known to someone. It was the supernatural, and Joseph wasn't sure if he believed it, but anything was possible.

He stroked his golden-brown hair. He sighed.

Joseph went outside for a snack in the vending machine. Danny had taken one already, and he contented himself to reading a magazine. He pulled out a one-dollar bill and pressed on a random button. A granola bar came out, and he shrugged, taking it. He just needed to be awake. He was insanely sleepy from the day's events.

Just then, Danny came out of the room, and dashed towards him, obviously panicked.

"What?" he said, holding Danny by the shoulders.

"Wayne-- he woke up, screaming!" said Danny. Joseph let go of him, and briskly walked towards the room.

"Call a nurse!" he ordered.

Danny went right away to get one.

When Joseph arrived in the room, Wayne was awake, panting.

"Wayne!" he exclaimed.

"Someone's going to get hurt again!" he said.

All right, that's the end of this chapter. Hope my updates aren't too slow. XD


	12. Behind These Eyes

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

I, unfortunately, had to re-type this chapter because the idiot side of the computer suddenly decided to go and restart. Gah. Oh well. This is more of a chapter twelve-point-two, so I hope it still turns out okay. I guess that explains the lateness. Sorry.

This chapter will explore the more emotional sides of the characters. Just a touch of reality I hope will deem effective to make sure they sound real.

As for the significance of the title, you'll find out eventually.

_Disney owns Fillmore, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**i need you more than anything.**

"What do you think he means?"

"I'm not sure, Ingrid." he said. "I really don't know. All I know is that Danny came to me, telling me he was awake and raving about something he didn't understand. When I go there, he was saying something about someone getting hurt again."

He heard a sigh from the end of the line. "This is all getting too weird. Joseph, please, rest on this."

"I can't."

A pause. "Why are you doing this?"

"What?" The question caught him off guard. Ingrid's tone wasn't of anger or disapproval. It was more on curiosity.

"Why do you want to help people so much?" she said. Joseph didn't think of what to say. He just said what he honestly felt.

"I've been blessed with a good life, Ingrid. But I can't live in happiness while everyone around me is having trouble. I want to be able to make things better." he said. "That's why I joined the safety patrol. I wanted to help make things right. It's what I've always wanted since I was much younger."

"You have your own problems."

"Everyone does. But mine aren't as bad as others have them."

She sighed. "Joseph... I just can't believe how much you're putting aside for us. You have a life to live. And, I just want you to know how much I really appreciate everything."

"My father's looking for a lawyer for Ariella, okay? Just take it easy, because you've got other things to be worrying about. They'll handle it." he said, hoping his words sounded reassuring enough. It was hard to say heartfelt things over the phone. He wanted to touch her, to hold her. But the sad reality was, she wasn't with him right now.

He thought he heard a sniffle from the other line. "Hey, Ingrid, are you okay?"

"I am." she said. "It's just... I'm so stressed by everything and can't help it. This is too much to handle. Things are happening way too fast and their impact is too much. Heck, my father doesn't even know. If we told him, he wouldn't know what to do."

"That's why I'm here. But if you can't be strong for them, you won't be able to help them." he said. "Be strong for them. Your father's still grieving the loss of your mother, and Ariella's scared and traumatized by what happened to her. Just... be the one that gives them hope."

"Joseph, I wouldn't know what I'd do without you." she all but sobbed. It was difficult to understand, but he got it. "I love you. I really do."

He smiled. "Shh, it's all right. No more crying. I love you too. In fact, you're what I'd needed more than anything. I mean, I was completely lost and without ambition until you came along. So I did owe you something."

He heard her laugh. "Thanks. Take care, okay? I'll see you tomorrow."

"Of course. Sleep well, and lock the doors and windows." he said.

"Bye."

He closed his phone. This was probably the first time he and Ingrid had a heart-to-heart talk. He found it a nice thing for their relationship, but he was disappointed that it had to be over the phone. He sighed.

He walked back inside Wayne's room. Through the window, he saw that Wayne had calmed down several notches since he'd gone out. He saw him seated on the bed, with his feet hanging off the edge. He was just staring into space.

"Hey." he said. "You gave us such a scare there."

Wayne turned to him. "Anza." he said, smiling. "Sorry about that. I just freaked."

"It's okay." said Joseph. "At least you're up now. Take it easy."

"I will." he said. A moment of silence hung between the two teens, who were just staring at each other for that time. It had been a while since Joseph had seen Wayne awake, and it had been a while that Wayne had seen anything real. He took a breath. "I suppose you want to hear what happened."

"If you're ready to. I can always wait." he said.

"I'm ready." said Wayne. "I've been having... nightmares."

"About what?"

"Like I said, someone's going to get hurt. I don't know who and where, but I want you to stay out of this." he said. "This is my problem, and I don't want you to get hurt for me. No more. You've already saved me more times than I'd care to count. If you get hurt because of me, I'd never be able to live with myself."

"Wayne. I can take care of myself. And there are seven other families that need their justice."

Wayne stared at him. "Seven? What's going on?"

"Your stepfather. Dane, Addison, whatever the hell his name is, he's killed seven families already. His identity hadn't been revealed until now, thanks to you." he said. "If I can't help you, I'm helping the others."

"Serial killer. I knew it. That asshole was after money. And he didn't care who. I knew it."

"How?"

"The nightmares. I've been having them for the past weeks. Each one getting worse. The first one involved a forest, running. I couldn't see much. I saw someone running, a knife in his hand. And the next ones showed people murdered. Shadows only, thank goodness. But violent nonetheless." he said. "The one that woke me. It was the worst. It showed a burning place. I have no idea if it was a warehouse, a cabin... I don't know. All I know is that someone is inside. A lot of people are inside. And I heard the screams. I felt the heat. I smelled the fire. It was as if I was right there."

Joseph was too shocked to say anything. He went near Wayne, placing a cold hand over his. "Wayne... that's... terrible."

He nodded. "How is my father?"

Joseph almost lost his self-control at that. His face nearly gave it away. But what would be the use of hiding it? Wayne would eventually find out. He took a breath. And he looked at Wayne straight in the eyes.

"He's dead."

Wayne closed his eyes. "Please leave me now."

Joseph nodded, and walked out. He saw the clock.

Oh _shit._ Eight-thirty. He had to be home _now._

He practically ran out of the hospital and managed to catch a cab. Luckily, there wasn't much traffic. He'd agreed to be home by eight-fifteen. And his father was extremely strict with their curfew. He was hoping that the punishment wasn't going to be too hard.

He stumbled out of the car, but not before handing the twentysomething driver fifteen dollars. He stepped out, and walked to the lawn. He fished in his pocket for his keys, and drew them out, searching in the dim light for the gold key to the front door.

He eventually found it and turned the knob. He pushed the door gently, as not to wake anyone.

He looked in the dim house. His father was sitting at the bar, drinking Scotch or beer or something. He frowned. Since when did his dad drink this late at night, without a party?

**i don't love you like i did yesterday.**

Karen had snuck out to go to the beach for maybe a few hours. She just wanted to be alone, perhaps, just this once. Everywhere, she was swarmed with the attention anyone would possibly need. She had a nice boyfriend, and great best friends. She had good parents too. Somehow, something was still missing in her life. All of the good things she had made her feel empty inside.

She loved her friends and family of course. But there were times when she just needed to think. About herself. About what she wanted. No one could ever live happily ever after. It was the truth she'd embraced and accepted long ago. All good things would have to end.

Like her secret, short affair with Joseph. It had been unforgettable. Everything was so perfect. They lost themselves to each other, at one night, in the beach house. She thought it was love, but after summer, it just went away. They'd never spoken about that night since then. It was a secret they shared. She sighed.

She was happy with Adam now. He proved to be a loving and utterly perfect boyfriend. When she took him to meet her family, he was what you'd call a parent's dream date for their daughter. And it had been the same with Adam's parents. Heck, their parents might have been planning their wedding! She saw her mother talk to Adam's mother quite a few times, often looking excited seeing Karen and Adam together.

She strolled along the beach, enjoying the feel of the waves going against her feet, and the cool night air. She smiled, staring out into the sky.

Her life wasn't perfect. But it was definitely something she could handle.

Or not.

She walked towards her home. She was passing by Adam's along the way, so why not go say hi? Fifteen minutes later, she was ten meters away from his doorstep. A car was parked in front of it, and she saw Adam there, and shortly following was a pretty redheaded girl. They were probably drunk, and the next thing she knew, they were making out on the hood of the car.

She almost slid down in pain. Her heart broke seeing them together, even if it was a drunken kiss.

"I can't believe you, Adam."

Her knees felt weak, but she managed to have enough strength to run home. The tears were falling, streaking her face, but right now she didn't care. She pulled out her cell phone, and wrote a text message to Adam.

_I saw you kissing that redheaded bitch. Don't lie, and don't try. Because we're done. You'll get a mouthful from Ingrid, that's for sure. And you know what, you don't deserve me. You may be the best looking guy I've seen in some time, but in reality, you're just a pretty-faced bastard. Don't bother calling. I saw what I saw. And I don't love you anymore.  
_

She sent it, before she could even change her mind.

**alone.**

I asked him to leave. I wanted to be alone. The impact of those two words, "He's dead," I had never imagined. Now I know what it feels to lose someone so special to me. Truth is, I'd been losing him for a long time already, and it just snapped. It happened, and I couldn't stop it before it was too late.

I was surprised that he just went out, without trying to stop me. I was both relieved and slightly disappointed that he'd gone. I was relieved, because Joseph finally became less hard-headed and let me do as I wanted. The other was disappointed because he didn't stop me from sending him out and talking sense into me.

Overall, I think my solitude is preferable. I don't want anyone to see me cry. I haven't cried in a long time. It just hurt, knowing that I lost someone without the chance to say goodbye. It was the worst feeling in the world. Losing something and never being able to get it back.

Do you know what hurts most? I told him I hated him. I told him that I wished he'd never even been my dad.

And I honestly can say I regret it. This is my punishment. To live with the pain I'd probably caused my father. Weeks at a time I wouldn't speak to him because I was angry at Dane, Addison, whatever that bastard's name way. My father didn't deserve that.

So tomorrow, I don't care what anyone says. I'm going to his wake. I don't care if I'm too weak, I don't care if I have to walk, I don't even care what I look like. I just want to see him for one last time. No matter how heartbreaking it is to see him, it will be the reflection of all the things I've done to him.

I let the tears fall. I don't bother wipe them away. I stare out into the sky, and see the stars. Always a comforting sight. It gave me hope that somehow, there's a light up there all the time.

And somehow, I didn't feel all too alone.

**balancing is never easy.**

"You're late by half an hour, son. What kept you?"

"He woke up. And I had to talk to Ingrid on the phone. I felt it was rude to end it before she would."

His father nodded. "Could his parents not take care of him? And we have telephones here at home."

He sighed. "They're at work. They'll be coming there within the next hour."

"You know what I feel about lateness, son."

"Yes, dad."

He nodded. "Well. You're late by half an hour, which is quite a lot of time. Until next week, I expect you to be home by seven-thirty every day. Including weekends. And if you're late by fifteen minutes, you'll be grounded for two weeks, meaning you're coming home directly after school. Arthur will make sure of that. Understand?"

"Yes, dad." he said, with his head bowed.

"Go to your room. Good night." he said, as he kept the glass, and walked to his room.

"Good night, dad." he said. He took off for the stairs, and once he reached the top, his stomach grumbled. He groaned. He hadn't eaten anything except for the granola bar and coffee. He walked to his room, to drop off his things, he flicked on the lights, revealing Jared, seated on one of the black leather couches in his room.

Wow, he hadn't seen much of Jared in the past few days. He'd been way too busy studying, while he was busy managing his life.

"Hey."

"Hey." he said, staring at his brother. "What's up? Why're you here, Jared?"

"We need to talk. But first, do you want something to eat? I think you haven't eaten in a while." he said.

"Okay."

"I'll fix you something downstairs. I'll heat the carbonara. Is that okay?"

"Of course. Thanks, bro. Let's head down. I think it's better for me to eat down there."

Jared raised an eyebrow, but nodded. He took Joseph's hand, leading him downstairs. "Are you okay?" he asked. "You've been pretty occupied recently, Joseph."

"I'm okay." he said, giving his brother's hand a reassuring squeeze. "You? You've been way too busy with your nose in books."

He laughed. "Hey, I need to. Now, sit. There's a lot we have to talk about."

He nodded, and fixed himself and Jared a glass of orange juice, while Jared microwaved the food. He set it in a bowl for Joseph, while he got himself a slice of raisin bread. He let Joseph eat first before he began talking.

"Now." he started, gripping his brother's hand across the table. "What's with the rumor?"

"Not true. Ingrid bought it for her sister." he replied. No use lying to Jared.

"Ariella?" he said. "Why?"

"She was raped." he said. "I asked dad to help find a lawyer for her."

Jared nodded. "Good thinking." he said. "No wonder Ariella's been so quiet lately."

"Is she a loud one?"

"Not really." he said. "She speaks up when she needs to or wants to. But she's just... you know... distant."

"I see."

"Why were you late?"

Joseph looked up at him. "Wayne got up. And it's a long story as to why."

Jared looked at him with interest. "Tell me. I'm skipping homework for this, definitely."

"Bad." said Joseph. "Whatever. Okay, here's how it went."

And he told the story, recounting what happened until he came home that night. Jared didn't interrupt, which was a bit unusual for him. Joseph finished, and took one more gulp of the orange juice, and placed it and the rest of the plates in the sink.

"So, Jared, what do we need to talk about?" he said, resting a cold hand on his brother's shoulder. Jared placed his own hand over it, and turned to look up at him.

"I think I'll need the paperwork to help support it."

Joseph gave him a confused look. "What? What the hell is this?"

"Shh, calm down." he said, standing up. "Come upstairs. It's in the folder I was holding when I was inside your room."

Joseph followed him upstairs into his own room. Whatever this was, he could tell it was bad news. What paperwork? He hadn't gotten into legal trouble, had he? Or had Jared? What about his parents? As he thought more of possible outcomes, he'd already arrived in the room, and Jared opened a manila folder, which looked like it had existed way before he was alive.

"Sit down." ordered Jared. He pulled out several sheets, and Joseph peered over them. He skimmed it, until the words _adoption,_ _social worker_, and _adopted_ made him nearly gasp for air. His already cold hands became even colder. Jared took him in an embrace. He only leaned into him, confused, shocked. He wasn't sure how he felt.

"I'm fine." he said, immediately.

"Don't lie." said Jared.

"Don't ever leave me."

Jared was slightly taken aback, but he instinctively brushed back the hair that fell into Joseph's eyes. He was still a child somewhere in there. He was still insecure, but he could love unconditionally, unlike him. He could hate. But Joseph couldn't. No matter what it was, he couldn't hate anyone. Right now, Jared was fuming inside, since their parents hadn't even bothered to tell them. He preferred truth over lies, no matter how much pain it would cause. Joseph was more of the dreamer, always being hopeful of the next day. Always thinking about others. If it weren't for his brother, he'd still be the stuck-up, selfish jerk he'd always known himself to be.

He kissed Joseph lightly, and he kept his word, not releasing his brother.

Life, in its' own, will create the balance for us. All we need to know is how to control it and use it.

Oh God, what did I just do? Eeh. I just write. Damn. XD I wonder what to do with Fillmore. I myself am so screwed up with the pairings. XD Heh. I'll figure it out.


	13. One to Handle

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

OMG. I just realized I forgot to spellcheck the last chapter. Bug me if you spot some so I can fix it. Heh. Thanks for reading and still reviewing. You guys are awesome.

_Disney owns Fillmore, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**- THEXOXOPLAYGROUND . NET -  
x marks the gossip spot.**

**hey love. **

It's been a few days already, we're done with this week, but we still can't get over the rumor that's been circulating and made ten times worse by the time we heard about it again. Well, neither can I. No one seems to be giving anyone straight answers these days! They're hiding something, and when I find out, you'll be the next to know.

So. The latest I've found out is that Folsom asked Ingrid to her office, and the Ingrid left with an expressionless face. I wonder why. And that's not all. Her sister followed shortly after. Wonder why. Maybe Folsom asked her to keep an eye on Ingrid. Who knows what more _she's_ capable of. But they'd better know secrets never stay secrets. Not while I'm around at least.

Sorry if I'm not going to be answering your comments that much. I'm really busy. I'll be reading them though. But rest assured, I will never be busy enough not to give you the latest gossip. Count on that.

**eye spy.**

Somehow, a certain family isn't as perfect as it seems. A dark secret's hiding within.

**J** protectively staying and sleeping (nothing malicious, you pervert!) with his younger brother **J** for one night. How sweet.

**W **visiting his father's wake. The poor soul.

**J**'s sister **A** talking to **W **over the phone. I heard she has eyes for him.

**K **running from the direction of her boyfriend **A**'s house late one night. Something happen? Apparently **K**'s boyfriend **A** may be more available than we thought.

**I **tiptoeing outside her house and sitting at the porch only in her nighties. Bet the passing cabbies got a kick out of that.

All right, I've got to go now. Winter's coming in, and it's starting to get very cold. I've got to start planning for parties, finding new and cool clothes, and get myself primped for this holiday season! I need to find some things to do as well to stay warm. Nudge, nudge. And of course, presents. It's a bit early, but why wait? And I need to get to class. Toodles!

**You'll keep coming back to me.**

**xoxo**

**there are just things we never can forget.**

"So how did your father deal with finding out, Ingrid?" asked Karen, as they were fixing their hair in the bathroom of the mall. Honestly, they didn't care anymore who heard them. Let the rumors circulate. The only way to deal with them was to ignore them.

"He was kind of angry at her for going out that late, and in a club, no less." said Ingrid, as she applied a coat of lip gloss.

"But...?"

"He vowed that whoever did it would be given maximum penalty. She is a minor after all." she said, taking the white comb from her bag. Today was shopping day for her and Karen. It proved to be a very de-stressing activity for the both of them, which they discovered when they were given their own credit cards.

"And is he talking to you?" asked Ingrid.

"The better question is if I'm talking to him, but yeah. He's leaving messages on my phone. He even tried to talk to me after Geometry today." she said, touching up her face powder.

"Right. I can't believe him." she said. "I swear, I'm going to kill him when he comes over tomorrow."

Karen smiled. "Grill the answers out of him, I."

"Definitely." she said. "While we're here, I say you look for someone else to make him jealous."

Karen smirked. "Since when have you been the expert on revenge?"

"Since now. Come on. We still have..." she started, mentally searching the map of the mall that she memorized. "Fourteen more shops to check out on our list."

Karen laughed. "Okay, let's go." she said, grabbing Ingrid's arm and linking hers. "It feels so nice to finally go shopping. I haven't had the time in weeks."

"Neither have I." she said, pushing the bathroom door open.

"So what's up with Jared and Joseph sleeping in the same bed?" she asked.

Ingrid laughed. The thought of Joseph still being a child inside always made her smile. "He's going through some stage, I guess. He's still a little kid in there."

Karen smiled. "He's always been. But I think he's upset about something."

"You would know." Ingrid said, as she eyed a black jacket in a shop window. "You've known the guy since you were probably born."

Karen nodded. "Pretty much. I don't want to bother him about it though. It might be a sensitive topic for him."

"I think he'll tell us eventually. It's hard for him to keep things to himself."

"Not really. He can keep things to himself pretty well. But if it's big, he's bound to tell someone."

"That someone being his brother."

Karen nodded. "I don't know when they became this close. When they were growing up, they weren't playing pranks or being bullies to each other. In fact, I hardly saw them together. It was as if they weren't brothers. Jared was always self-kept, while Joseph was always with his sister, Celine."

"Yeah. I heard him mention that a lot."

"They're still close, but it seems to me, Joseph's more drawn to Jared these days."

"Must be a high school thing." said Ingrid. Karen smiled.

"Maybe."

"What about Fillmore?" asked Ingrid. "What was he like back then?"

Karen tapped her chin. "Hm, that's a pretty long way back. Why haven't you asked him?"

"Well, I have. But I know he's leaving things back. I know how much he hates talking about his past."

"That's right." she agreed. "As you already know, he's an ex-delinquent, changed by Wayne. Fillmore was brilliant. He could make any scheme work. He was skilled in so many things. That's why he's pretty well known underground. Wayne convinced him that he was talented, special, smart. But he was using them in the wrong way. Somehow, what many people tried to do, Wayne managed to do."

"What?"

"Get in Fillmore's head. Anyway, what made Fillmore the best, was that he knew what a criminal would do. How he'd pull it off. What measures to take. The side he was on before, there were no permanent alliances. It was a world of trickery and debauchery. He learned not to trust. But thanks to Wayne, he did."

Ingrid nodded. "Fillmore's ashamed of his mistakes in the past. But what about Penny?"

"Penny." repeated Karen. "Penny, an ex-delinquent like him. She's actually a nice girl. She, like Fillmore, was confused and misunderstood. So she found him. They ended up close. They trusted each other, but at one point Penny betrayed his trust. She was also a reason why he wanted to join. Fillmore didn't want to join at first because he didn't want to leave Penny. And when Penny betrayed him, he had nowhere else to go to."

"I'm glad he's fighting for the right side now." said Ingrid.

"I know." said Karen. "But right now all he's doing is confusing me. I don't understand why he's going with Penny again after she destroyed his trust for two times already."

"I think Fillmore loves her. He just doesn't want to admit it."

"Ingrid..." started Karen. "He's been in love with you since seventh. I don't know how he fell for her."

"I have too. But Joseph... I fell for him, and honestly, he's the only one I can see with me right now." she said. "I swear, even just thinking about him makes me so happy."

"That's great." said Karen. She didn't know if she meant it or not, or if she sounded convincing enough. She pulled Ingrid into the next boutique they passed to avoid any further discussion. Somehow, she just wanted to forget everything she'd felt for Joseph. She was tired of feeling things she wasn't supposed to.

**try to get mom and dad alone.**

"When do you plan to ask them?"

"I don't know, Jared."

"Make up your mind. I'm not approaching them about it until you're ready." he said. "And I'm still pissed as hell at them for not bothering to tell us anything."

"Jared, please, they have their reasons." said Joseph. "Everyone does. Just be open-minded."

Jared sighed. "You know what? You're right. But I think we need to talk to them tonight."

"I'm sure it's obvious to them that something's bothering you. You haven't spoken to them since Wednesday." said Joseph. "They're not stupid."

"If I did, I might just snap. And heck, I don't want to do that." he said. "I might hurt them, myself, worst of all you."

Joseph nodded in understanding. "Okay. I'm ready. Let's talk to them tonight. But I want to keep Celine out of this first. I don't want her to be upset over a problem that's not hers. I'll tell her once we've cleared it up."

"All right." he said. He didn't have to argue with that. Celine would still know, even though they would block it at first. "I'll see that she gets sent over to Wayne's father's wake later. She's been meaning to go, but she's been too busy. Besides, the funeral will be tomorrow."

"Okay. And Jared?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. For everything." he said.

He gave him a small smile. "Of course. Joseph. I'd do anything for you."

"I would too." he said, giving his brother a hug, and a kiss.

Jared pulled away a little later. "I'll go talk to Celine. You go figure out how to initiate the talk."

"Okay."

Jared walked downstairs and knocked on the rosewood door of his sister's room. He heard a faint response and pushed the door open. There, he found Celine staring at her bedspread, with a periwinkle-colored miniskirt and at least ten tops around it. Shoes were placed by pairs on the floor at her bed's side.

"Oh, hey Jared." she said, turning her head to face him. She brushed away a lock of her red hair. "Listen. I was wondering what might look nice with this lavender mini. I was debating between the slouchy gray off-shoulder one... or this black sweater-shirt thingy with the thin white belt. Ignore the others... come on. Rose with lavender? Uh, no. Too much pastel is never good."

"Actually, the skirt's periwinkle, but you're close. I think you should go for the black." he said. Somehow, he just _knew_ fashion. It was... so very gay of him. Nate often teased him of being a fashionista, but he couldn't help it. Even his _dad_ cared about the difference between blue and cerulean. Adoptive dad at least, he thought, grimacing. "Gray and light shades of violet are last year."

She chuckled. "Nice one." He watched her put aside the ten or so tops, and place them back into her giant walk-in closet. "I swear, I'm going to need an even bigger closet. This is big enough, but with the number of stuff mom wants me to try out and the clothes I buy from the mall? I might as well be the Imelda Marcos for clothes."

He laughed. "You're getting there."

"So like, what shoes should I wear with them?" she asked, getting out of the closet in only her underwear.

"Hey!" he said, turning away. "I'm still here ya know. Those silver flats are okay."

"Thanks, then." She laughed, and pulled over the clothes. "So what's up? Why're you here?"

"Well, I'm wondering if you want to go to Wayne's dad's wake later. Cause the funeral's tomorrow, and I guess Wayne's pretty sick of Joseph's company and mine..."

"Sure. I've been meaning to go." she said, as she zipped up the skirt. Jared decided it was safe enough to turn around.

"Great. Where're you going?" he asked, and watched her race to the mirror. She took some primer and spread it on her face.

"Shopping." she replied, and applied TruBlend Minerals by Covergirl foundation. He rolled his eyes.

"Again?"

"Well, yeah." she said, coating her lips with lip gloss. "I haven't gone in like, a week. Besides, I'm hanging with Mandy. I haven't talked to her in a while."

"I see." he said. "Okay, see you later. And make it obvious when you're leaving."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Bye Jared." she said, rushing over and kissing him on the mouth.

He walked outside and went back upstairs to Joseph's room.

"Come up with anything yet?"

"Yeah." he replied. "I'll handle it. Dude, what's with the lip gloss?" asked Joseph, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Celine. You know her." he said, wiping it away.

Joseph smirked at him. "And I thought you were getting gay..."

"Ass." he said, throwing a jacket at him, which he caught.

A few minutes later, they heard Celine's voice.

"Bye mom, bye dad! I'll be visiting Mr. Legitt's wake later, so I'll be home eight-ish!" she yelled, and closed the door as loud as she could without breaking it. Joseph and Jared snickered. They took it as their cue and they went downstairs, finding both their parents seated on the cream-colored leather couch sipping coffee.

"Mom, Dad?" Joseph said. "Can we talk?"

Jared suppressed a groan. Joseph was going to be straightforward... not exactly what he had in mind, but since Joseph was going to do most of the talking, he didn't argue to that.

"Sit." said his father. Jared thought he might know what it was about, since his face was significantly calmer than their mother's. "Jacqueline, relax. They didn't do anything wrong."

"Now." he continued. "What's this about?"

"We need to know the truth."

**shut the fuck up.**

"Karen! Finally."

"What?" she said, setting her bags down in the foyer. Angeline was in the kitchen, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Ugh. Your boyfriend's been calling for like, the past hour. I've barely been able to get anything done here." she said, gesturing to her trigonometry homework and a music sheet.

"Couldn't you have disconnected the line?"

"He was calling my phone." she said, rolling her eyes. "He was way annoying."

"Why didn't you shut it off?"

"Jared might call." she said.

"Whatever. Next time he calls, tell him I hate him."

"What?"

"I hate Adam, all right? Tell him to quit bothering me." she said, and grabbed her bags from the foyer. She walked upstairs, and closed her door. She opened the bags, and took out her new purchases, taking out the tags and putting them in the laundry, while waiting for her laptop to start.

She signed on to her e-mail, and wasn't surprised at the ridiculous number of messages he'd left her. She did love him. But it was the past. He and the dumb bimbos could screw around all they wanted. All Karen cared about was forgetting him. She opened one, what was there to lose? Not like she would reply to him or something.

She felt her blood boiling when she read it. He said he didn't know what he did to make her so angry. He said he still loved her. But Karen decided not to fall for that. She didn't even know why he was still hanging on to her when he had that stupid bimbo.

She hit reply and typed up a response.

_Adam._

_Leave me alone. Stop calling. Hell, don't even go near me in the halls. Do not even attempt to go near my home. You know exactly why I'm avoiding you. I saw you kissing that bitch. I don't want any reasons. So stop it. I'm not completely mean-- I'll save you any more embarrassment by saying that this... what we have, is over. We're done. For the record, I don't love you anymore. So go screw whoever the hell you want. I don't care. I hope they see through that deceiving outer appearance the true, lying cheater you are._

_And by the way, don't even go near my sister._

She hit send without a second thought, and signed off. She didn't know what next to do.

**so much for visiting the wake.**

Wayne was staring at the pale corpse of his father. His hand was placed on the coffin. He wasn't thinking of anything, and he didn't want to. Perhaps he didn't have to. Not now, at least. He looked up at the names. Thank God Dane, Addison, whatever his name was, wasn't there. He would've ripped it off and burned it on the spot.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and immediately turned to the person. He was met by the bright-eyed Asceline, who he felt he hadn't seen in ages.

"Celine!" he exclaimed, giving her a quick embrace. "Wow, it's as if I haven't seen you in years."

"I know." she gushed. "How've you been? Sorry I didn't come any earlier... I had lots of stuff to do but Jared managed to make it possible for me to come. He said he'd follow or something. I dunno about Joseph though. He seems so bummed lately."

"Really?" he said. "I guess I need to go out more. I've confined myself in here for way too long."

She nodded. "I agree. You've become a lot paler."

He rolled his hazel eyes. "Then I need to get my ass to the beach and get that tan back."

"I like that idea. You might even get those nice golden flecks back in your hair." she said. _Oh my God. I am flirting with him. What the hell?_ she thought.

"I had those?" he said, touching his hair.

"Yeah. You never noticed?"

He laughed. "Never really look at a mirror. Guess that explains my total sloppiness."

"Oh come on. You're okay. I mean, I've seen worse." she said.

"Yeah right. You live in a house of fashionistas. I mean, Joseph gets _pissed off _seeing a mismatched outfit. I find it rather amusing, though." he said.

"That's why I talk to him when I need help. Him and Jared, actually. They are so gay, I swear. I've never met guys girlier than I am." she said. "Like there's a big deal with difference between cream and linen, and thistle and lavender."

"The spelling." he said. They both laughed.

"Come on. We're going out." she said, pulling his hand.

"But I look like I just tumbled out of bed!" he said, gesturing to his outfit. Celine looked him up and down. He was wearing a gray shirt and white pajama bottoms. Yeah. He did. But the gray shirt was unbuttoned at the top, slightly revealing the muscular chest underneath. He came out of bed hours ago, but didn't bother fixing himself up. A little too gorgeous for the just-out-of-bed guy.

"Oh please." she said. "You look like a model for sleepwear. Come on, you don't look bad at all."

"Fine. Where're we going?"

"Out." she said, her faint British accent emphasized. "Wherever our feet take us."

"Okay, let's um... go?" he said, holding open the door for her. He still thought they looked odd. Here he was, looking like he came right out of bed, while Celine looked like she had come from the pages of a fashion magazine. Not like he'd read any, but he'd caught more than enough glimpses into one to know what was nice and what wasn't.

"Oops!" exclaimed Celine, whose keys, house keys, most likely, fell to the floor.

They both bent down to pick it up, but Celine beat him to it. Next thing he knew, he was staring right at her eyes. They stayed that way in what seemed like hours, but before either of them knew what was happening, they were kissing.

It was like one in a first, first date. Quick, slightly awkward, but still sweet. No love lost or gained, but it happened. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, and felt like nothing more. The attraction that had been building up was gone. Not that either of them kissed badly, but they simply weren't right for each other.

They pulled away, slightly wide-eyed.

"Um..."

"That was..."

"We're not talking about that again, are we?"

"Don't think so." she said. "Now that it happened, I guess I need to be truthful to you."

"About what?"

"I kind of liked you before, but I dunno... after this it didn't seem right for you and me to be together." she said.

"My thoughts exactly. Well." he said. "Feeling's mutual."

"I think we'll be better off as friends."

"Same here. You still want to go out?"

"Of course!" she said. "Come on. We're heading to the beach. It's still five. We can like, watch the sunset in a while."

"But your outfit..."

"Screw it." she said. "Besides, it's not like it's going to be ruined forever."

"All right."

**life's twists make it so much worse.**

"How can you not tell anyone who did this to you if you know it, huh?"

"I don't want to! Why can't you just leave me be?"

"Ariella, for God's sake, please. You're in need of help, so stop denying that! Obviously you want justice to be done to you, but if you can't help yourself, no one else can help you!"

"Why do you care so much? Maybe _you're_ in need of help since you bought that pregnancy testing kit!"

"It was for you. Why do I care? You're my sister. I don't want you ruining your life over this!"

"It's my life, not yours!"

"What is the matter with you? For the life of me, I cannot understand why you're protecting his identity when he destroyed yours."

"Go on, Ingrid, keep provoking me. You'll never get anything out of me."

"Giovanni is worried like hell about you. Why can't you just tell us and get this over with so you can start trying to forget this happened?"

"I am never going to forget it. No matter how hard anyone tries."

"Why don't you at least try to fix yourself? You're the biggest mess of a person I have ever seen. Why can't you just tell us who did this to you?"

"Because I don't want to remember!"

"Giovanni needs you to tell him!"

"Fine! You want to know so much? Adam's gang of twenty-year-olds. Now leave me alone!" she screamed, storming upstairs.

Ingrid fell on the couch. She didn't yell, much less at Ariella. She gulped. Adam's gang? Tomorrow was a day she most definitely was anticipating.

**if you want the truth, make sure you can handle it.**

"Jacqueline. It's time they did. They're not kids anymore. They'll be able to handle it." said their father, who clasped their mother's hand in his.

Jared flashed back to the previous night, when he and Joseph were unable to sleep. They were just lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, attempting to make figures out of what they saw there. Finally, Joseph couldn't take it anymore, and tugged on his hand.

_"Jared."_

_"What?"_

_"I want to know why you're so angry at them."_

_He sighed. "I don't know why you're not feeling anything of the sort, Joseph. I don't get you."_

_"Just answer the question." he snapped._

_"Fine." he said. "All my life, everything I'd ever wanted, I got. I couldn't have been any happier. But suddenly this turns up. How would you feel if you found out that your life is a complete, inconceivable lie? Wouldn't you feel upset? I know I am. I don't know why they'd never told us. I'd rather that I'd known before, because it is simply wrong for them to keep who I really am from me! I have the right to know what and who I am! Would you honestly prefer living in lies, Joseph? Would you?"_

_Joseph sighed. "Calm down. I'm sorry." he said, his voice shaking. "I'm sorry."_

_He felt a hand on his arm. "Joseph, I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to raise my voice at you."_

_"I-it's okay. I started it." he said. "But please, just don't get so angry at them. I'm sure they have reasons why they didn't tell us. I just hope that this secret... it won't tear this family apart."_

_"Why does it matter to you so much that they had reasons to keep it?"_

_"I just don't want this to destroy us. We may have our true family out there, but right now, they're the best we've got. I'm glad they took us in."_

_"No matter what you do, you never seem to fail to make me see a better perspective." said Jared. "I'm so glad I have you."_

_"Whatever the truth is, I hope we can handle it."_

_"We will. We're never given anything that we can't."_

Jared handed them the manila folder. "I was searching for law books. And this came out."

His father nodded. "It's time you heard the real thing."

"Where to begin." said their mother. She sighed. "High school. Your father and I... we were forbidden love, as they call it. We both turned eighteen when we decided to elope. Your grandparents were enemies. It was an old friendship of theirs that dissolved and was made worse into rivalry. As you well know, your father's father was a well-known politician. He and my father were rivals there, and their running was what solidified their complete hatred for each other.

Your father's father ended up winning. My father didn't like it, and went as far as to accuse him of cheating. The two of us were forbidden, under any circumstances, to see each other. After high school, your father and I decided to elope. To France, because my mother had a vacation house there. We'd tried conceiving, but it never worked. I visited doctors and they told me I was infertile, and that if I wanted a child, I would have to adopt. By chance, I visited another doctor, and I met this young woman while we were waiting. She was having a child, but didn't want it."

"It was you, Jared." said their father. "She was considering abortion." Jared bit his lip, trying not to look as hurt as he felt. "Your mother, she talked to her. She said that she would adopt you. And the woman agreed. She said that she didn't want the child but didn't want an abortion."

"Who was she?" asked Jared.

"Agnès. Agnès-Yves de Brosse." said their mother. "Only sixteen years old. An up-and-coming model, who was harboring a secret affair with a wealthy English businessman, Corbin Sharpe. She confided this to us. She had green eyes and black hair, while she said that Corbin had black hair and silver, ice blue eyes.

We adopted you, and then, about two years later, she called again, asking us if we wanted another. She said she was pregnant again, and that she didn't want to abort again. Of course, we said yes. I've always wanted many children. The next year, you were born. And she gave us instructions to take very good care of you. I hope... we've managed to have done that."

Their father filled in. "A few months after you were given to us, we got word that my father had passed away. Who was I, twenty years old, thinking I could control my life and your mother's? Well, we went back. I can't say that our families immediately accepted us, but it was because of you two that the feud was put to an end. We officially married after we had both finished college."

Their mother sighed. "I wanted you to have a normal life. To be free of knowing that you were adopted. If you'd known earlier, I don't know what would happen to your self-confidence."

"What about Celine?" asked Jared.

"Celine was born after we moved back here. Turns out, your mother wasn't as barred as they told her." said Adam. "Now. I'm sure you have many things to ask. I'm sure you're confused, you don't know what to say, and that we should've been more truthful about it. But. It was your real mother's request that it be kept secret until you were ready."

"In fact, she said that we were not to approach you about it until you did." she said. "I wonder how she knew. Must be maternal instinct."

Joseph nodded. "What happened to them?"

"I don't know." she said. "The last we'd heard of them was when she left you with us."

A long silence went on in what seemed hours. Both teens were still recovering from the shock and processing the story to fit in with their lives. Their parents were just across them, wondering if they'd said enough and if they did the right thing.

Jared stood up, and ran upstairs to his room. It wasn't what any of them were expecting. Joseph sighed. This was one of the rare times when Jared actually showed anyone, other than Joseph, any emotion. They knew better than to run after him.

"Mom, Dad... thanks." said Joseph. "I'm really sorry... I didn't know how much you've done for us. Jared... he's just really confused."

"It's okay, Joseph. We understand. Not perfectly, but we have always been thinking about what you two would feel when you found out." she said. "In the eighteen years we've been with you, we haven't once thought about what we were going to say. It was thinking of what you would do."

"Now, it's up to you."

Joseph stared at his father. Adoptive father, that is. "What?"

"If you're going to search for them. It's okay. It's painful for us, but if you do, it's all right."

"Do I have to decide now?"

"No." he said. "Now that you know the truth, it's up to you as to how you're going to use what you know."

Man. I have _so_ ruined their lives with this fic. Hell, I don't even know how I come up with this stuff. And I still don't have a story line for good old Vallejo! D:


	14. Trouble at the Door

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

Hey there! I've just come from Singapore... been busy for a while, thus the major lack of updates. This explains my long absence. Anyway. Thank you very much for still reading and still reviewing.

And this chapter will contain even more revelations. As if there were ever enough!

_Disney owns Fillmore, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**- THEXOXOPLAYGROUND . NET -  
x marks the gossip spot.**

**hey love. **

Life certainly has its' twists, doesn't it? And we're all being tested by them. Just this weekend, so much has been revealed. Well. It's mid-November now and winter's rolling in. I hope things get under control soon. Wouldn't want to spoil the holidays with it. Just a very quick update!

Well, school's starting in a while, but boy, do I have juicy stuff for you.

Apparently, two _very _gorgeous boys are adopted. They've got some classic European roots. I don't know their parents, but I don't doubt that they'll be searching for them anytime soon. And, a certain Aussie hottie has a rather bad past. And that past is coming back to haunt him by a traumatized cousin. As if things couldn't get any worse, his girlfriend dumped him after seeing him feeling up another girl. And this eye sees that he has eyes only for his ex-girlfriend.

And even more gossip. You can't just get enough, now can you? Well neither can I. So, **M **is starting to send threatening e-mails to **A**,older **J**'s not-so-secret girlfriend. And, it seems a certain tough guy is facing a major problem. I wonder what.

I can't wait to see how this drama unfolds. Later.

**You'll keep coming back to me.**

**xoxo**

**out of the billions of people on earth, how can you find two so easily?**

Joseph watched his brother speeding about the room in a flurry of activity. One side of the room was piled with Safety Patrol work, another with clothes, another with electronics to be repaired, a stack of homework, and a separate stack for other paperwork.

He wanted to help him, he really did. But Jared was talking in fragments, that he probably wasn't able to understand even himself. He lived off coffee for the past few days, and didn't come down to dinner. Celine, always worried about her older brothers, dropped off some reheated food for him before she went to bed.

Finally, after he'd piled away at least three more sheets, Joseph spoke.

"Do you think we should find them?"

"What? Who?" he said, furiously writing, or, scribbling at a piece of paper.

He rolled his eyes. "Our parents, man. And chill, will ya? I swear, you look so freaking thin!"

"Really now?" he said. "I don't know. Maybe we can look for them once we're not so busy."

"Okay." said Joseph. "But how are we going to find them? There's billions of people in the world."

"We have their names. We can Google them."

"I guess so." he said. "Jared?"

"What?" he said, typing furiously into his laptop.

"Do you know anything about Ingrid's mom?"

He frowned. "Why? Haven't you asked her?"

"I don't want to. It might be a sensitive topic for her."

"I know that her mother went away."

"When?"

"Guess when she was a kid. Ariella told me that before."

"Wow. Looks like we're not the only ones with a twisted past."

Jared nodded. "True. Heck, even Vallejo has major family problems."

"Really? What's up with him?" said Joseph, glad he managed to knock Jared's mind off of work.

"Vallejo's having financial problems. His trust fund's not accessible by him until he reaches seventeen, according to his parents. So he may have a hard time paying for his dream college. Apparently, his father's bank account's been drained. Someone knew his PIN, his passwords, and knew how to forge his signature."

"Oh God." said Joseph. "Do they know who?"

"No. Vallejo confided this to myself and Principal Folsom, which explains his periodic absences. I hope this doesn't get leaked out because of you, since his father requested that only a minimal number of individuals are permitted to know."

_Lawyer mode much?_ thought Joseph. "Of course. So his trust fund will be drained as well to pay for their needs?"

"Yes. And poor Vallejo had been working his ass off just to save up some of that. All his money went to the college fund."

Joseph shook his head. "Can I at least talk to him about it?"

Jared closed his eyes. "No. You wait for _him _to talk to you. Somehow, he figured I would tell you sooner or later."

"Vallejo can sometimes see right through a person's exterior." he said. "Like for example... you. You're a tough guy, but you're a total sap."

"Ouch." said Jared, but he wasn't going to deny that. It _was _kind of true.

"See." he said. "Vallejo told me that. And Jared, I seriously want to start searching."

Jared rolled his eyes. Joseph wouldn't stop until he did what he wanted, so might as well do it. Besides, he was curious too. He was only putting it off so he wouldn't be distracted from his work. But since he loved his brother more than anything, he decided to do it. Screw work.

"Fine." he said, as he clicked on the web browser, and typed in Google's web address. He looked for Corbin Sharpe, who he'd already read about a few times in the past, and opened a separate tab for Agnès-Yves de Brosse.

Search results came up, and they found out Agnès was currently modeling for Chanel haute couture. She had sharp, green almond-shaped eyes, the most alluring feature on her heart-shaped face, and long, wavy black hair. According to her agency, her measurements were 34-24-34, and stood at five-eleven. Not bad shape at all. She was thirty-four years old.

Corbin Sharpe was indeed an English businessman, now a CEO of a prominent chain of department stores in England. Currently, he was forty-six years old, and living in London. He was, as his last name so aptly was, sharp. Sharp features, manner of talking, sharp dressing. He looked like an older version of the two teens. His height, as stated by the results, was six-five. That certainly explained their children's height.

"Twelve years' difference. Wow." said Joseph.

"They're so damn tall." said Jared.

"Hell yes. Much as I'd like to meet them, I doubt we can."

Jared sighed. "Yeah. But there's a time for everything."

**a family's sacrifice.**

Danny never told anyone, not even Karen or Ingrid or Tori. He never told anyone that his mother was hospitalized for breast cancer, and wasn't getting any better. She was in the middle of the third stage of the disease. Medication, hospitalization, and treatment had taken over at least one-fourth of their family savings, and was bordering on crossing half of it.

So he was working a job at an uptown fast-food chain, while his younger half-sister Taylor was working at the library. His older half-brother, David, was working at Starbucks, near his college. His father, who was mainly an architect, worked a second job as a salesman at Levi's.

It pained Danny to see his mother like that. Weak, pale... her life being drained out with every second she lived.

Sympathy only made his father more stressed, so he and his siblings agreed to not share the tragedy aside from relatives.

Danny wanted to tell someone. It was hard to keep something so big to himself. He wanted to tell Tori, who was worried about him. He knew that she thought he was acting different, and that she desperately wanted to know what was wrong with him. They weren't officially boyfriend-girlfriend-- neither of them was ready for commitment. Even though it was just a relationship, and not a marriage.

He sighed. He was growing up. And it was so damned hard. Why was he being put through this?

Sacrifice sure helped him learn a lot, but too much was too much. He began to wonder how long he would be able to put up with this.

The telephone rang. He sighed, and got up to get it, since the house, was, as usual, empty. It was really sad. Taylor's birthday was yesterday, yet only he and Taylor were at home to celebrate it. Their father had managed to get her a gift, which made Taylor cry, because despite the hardships they were going through, he still managed to make an effort to give her something even though he was almost out of things to give out.

If he thought he was going through enough, he imagined what his father was feeling. He shuddered.

They were a family of sacrifices.

**promises.**

Again, Wayne was alone. He was the first to arrive and the last to leave at his father's burial. Today was no different. He was the first one at his father's gravestone and the last one to leave. People visited, gave their condolences, and he accepted each with a nod of thanks. He knew they meant it but he couldn't care less.

All that mattered to him now was that he wanted his father to be brought to justice by getting that moron to prison. Whenever he thought about him, his blood boiled, and he almost always threw the nearest thing to him at a wall. Luckily, his parents put away all breakables in fear of him hurting himself even more.

He had a strange way of dealing with grief. He didn't cry much. Mostly he exhibited a stony face with bottled-up anger, only releasing it within the sanctuary of his own home.

At school, he was met with more condolences, and truth be told, it was starting to get annoying. Smarter people treated him normally, though were a lot less meaner. Some teachers gave him lighter work, but he insisted on extra work mainly because he wanted to keep busy. Though, the reason he gave was that missing a week's work was a lot, and that he had a lot to catch up on. Which was partially true.

He stared at the carved name on the stone. His father was only a name and a memory now. All because of _him_. That fucking asshole that killed his father and tried to kill him.

He touched the cool stone, which was as cold as he was feeling.

"I swear, Dad, I will do you justice. He will pay. He stole money from you, from me, from mom. He ended your life and damaged mine. He destroyed hundreds of other people's lives, and also ended many others' lives. He will get what he deserves. I hope he doesn't die. That way he'll live with his guilt for what he did to you and for what he did to all those other people. He's the reason that mom's life was ruined too. I don't blame you anymore, Dad. I blame him. He deserves to be driven crazy by guilt."

He stepped back.

_Loving father and son._

No husband, as his mother had requested. It was hard for her to think of him as a husband. He sighed.

"Who're you talking to, Wayne?" asked a voice from behind. He turned to the direction of the voice he recognized as his best friend. Fillmore.

"Hey." he said. "My dad. If ever he's still here. What're you doing out on a cold November night?"

Fillmore chuckled. "Bored. My mom's getting one of her crazy hormonal food cravings, so I don't wanna be there right now. I wonder if I'm having a brother or a sister. Ma hasn't told me yet."

"Congratulations." he said. "With every person gone comes a new one." He sighed. "I just wish I could've said something to my dad. I wish I hadn't said such mean things when I last saw him."

"Hey." Fillmore said. "It's okay. You had no idea. Besides, you couldn't control yourself. It's impossible not to. I mean, you've been under way too much stress. I'd be surprised if you managed not to say anything mean."

He smiled. "Thanks man."

"No prob. Now. No more gloom, kay?" he said. "I'll whip your ass at the arcade."

Wayne grinned. "Last one pays for five games."

**money, money, money. if only it were unlimited.**

Vallejo sighed. His father was yelling at the phone again. Every day, more and more things in the house were either being sold and taken away. His father didn't want to spend Vallejo's money in his trust fund, and decided to start making money by selling some old things.

His father opened a new account, and already placed fifteen thousand dollars in it, since he'd had some money deposited in a Swiss bank, which, luckily, could only be opened by him. There were a few thousand dollars more in the Swiss bank, but it was hardly enough to pay for everything.

_Soon enough, _thought Vallejo, _we'd be moving out._

The Vallejos were very well off. They weren't as wealthy as the Tehamas or Anzas, but they had more than enough money. His father owned a lumber company, and made most of his money there.

The problem was, how could someone know his father's private details? The bank tellers only said that large amounts of money were being taken by a disguised man claiming to be his father. And he had managed to imitate his father's signature.

Another problem here was if the thief had motives against them, the worst case scenario being him trying to kill them and succeeding. That would be very devastating.

Vallejo shook his head. Things were not going so well at all. His father was still on the phone, frowning. He'd managed to calm down a little. To make things worse, their loft was still on installment. A thousand dollars a month for one and a half years. They could probably live there for only four to eight more months if their money would be spend wisely.

And even worse, they had membership clubs to pay.

Vallejo was also worried about his parents. They were fighting more and more each day, about rising costs, efficiency, how much this cost, how many of that we have, what to eat for dinner, lecturing on privacy... they fought about practically everything.

He sighed. He'd only told Principal Folsom, Raycliff, the student council president, guidance counselors, and Jared Anza, who would probably tell Joseph. He didn't want to admit he was poor. People looked up to him and were intimidated by his nature, power, and wealth.

Without one, it would break him. Without his wealth, he felt powerless.

He thought of all the possibilities and bad outcomes of the tragedy. No more fishing, no more trips up to Wisconsin, no trips to visit his grandparents in Switzerland and Germany... no more of his collectibles.

He could get a job, but he was way too busy for one.

Hopefully his father could get things fixed.

**trouble at the door.  
**

"Where's Ari?" asked Adam.

"In her room. That's why I want to talk to you." said Ingrid, crossing her legs.

"Huh?"

"Adam, she said something about her rapists."

"Rapists?" he repeated, appearing and sounding genuinely shocked.

"Yes. She said it was member of your gang."

"What gang?" he said, his face truly confused. Then, his eyes widened. "No. Shit, please, don't tell me they're doing this."

"Who are they?"

"Fred, Mike, Corey. Dammit. I left them ages ago! I said I wanted no more part in their crap!" he said.

"What?"

His eyes flashed. "You'd better be careful Ingrid. These guys are not to be messed with. I'm going now." he said, running out of the house. Ingrid stared after him. She made no effort to stop him, because Adam was a fast runner. The only people who could catch him for sure were Fillmore and Joseph.

She pulled out her cell phone and dialed her mailbox.

A message from Fillmore. She sighed. She listened to it anyway. It was about some case at school. She took a mental note of it, and was partly relieved that he wasn't trying to make any personal contact with her. She missed Fillmore, but she was just really angry at him. Soon enough, she would forgive him. She was close to doing so anyway.

"I talked to Adam."

"And?"

"He said that he'd left the gang when he left for Australia."

"But why rape Ariella?"

"Joseph, I wouldn't know. He wouldn't say anything more. I'm sensing that these guys have a problem with him."

"And they're getting back by hurting Ariella?" filled in Joseph.

"They probably knew that they were close. Really close. I've never met them, since I wasn't allowed to go out yet back then."

"Ingrid, be careful. You may be next." warned Joseph.

She sighed into the phone. "You said the same thing as he did. I'll be careful."

"And you'd better." he said. "I wouldn't know what I'd do without you."

"Live." she said.

He chuckled. "Funny."

The doorbell rang. "Hold on. Gotta go. Someone's at the door."

"Okay. Bye. I love you."

"Love you too." she said, pulling away the phone. She walked to the door, and pulled it slightly open, not removing the lock. She peeked through the gap.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed.

SHORT CHAPTER. Sorry. XD Can you guess who or what Ingrid saw? Next chapter will be up faster than this one was.


	15. Wishing

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

Very correct, **BabyBeaver!** I hinted at it when Joseph asked his brother about Ingrid's mom. ;D As usual, thanks for reading and reviewing. :D

_Disney owns Fillmore, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**another one comes back.**

Ingrid Third was not used to this. It was dinner time, and an awkward silence had filled the room, the round table with the four of them looking either at each other or at the food, or at the table.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

"Mom, can you please answer us already?" she said, as she poked at a piece of lettuce. She put it in her mouth and chewed on it, tasting the thick, creamy dressing.

"Ingrid, I know my arrival's been too sudden, but I hope you understand that I'm not going to tell you yet."

"You've been gone for twelve years and that's all you can say? Mom, I believe Ariella and I are entitled to know." she said. Today, she'd managed to gain the ability of not being able to control what she said.

"Ingrid." warned her father.

"I'm sorry, Dad, but I can't help it."

Ariella was just silent, wondering if she should tell her mother about the recent events. She was lucky not to be pregnant. She'd finally taken the test after long hours of thinking about whether or not she was ready to find out the truth.

The afternoon's events raced by in Ingrid's head.

_"MOM?" exclaimed Ingrid._

_She wasn't sure of whether to throw open the door and kiss her mother, the mother that she only saw in photographs and videos. The mother she only heard about in stories. The mother that left her when she was barely able to talk in full sentences._

_Rose Third. Black hair, same, pale skin, because of their part-albinism, and large, emerald green eyes, standing at a five-foot-four frame. Her hair was definitely longer than the ones Ingrid saw in the pictures, and she looked a lot thinner too._

_And she wasn't sure whether to slam the door shut and think she was hallucinating with the turn of events that had been going on recently._

_After a full two seconds after her outburst, the better part of her subconscious removed the lock and allowed her mother in. She stepped back, wide-eyed at the suddenness of it all. Her mother didn't open her arms out for an embrace._

_She was expecting this reaction._

_"Ariella, is that you?" she said to Ingrid. "My, have you grown."_

_"Mom..." Ingrid said, the word foreign to her tongue. She'd gone through twelve years of not having one, so bear with her. "I'm not Ariella. I'm Ingrid."_

_Her mother's eyes widened. "Ingrid? My little baby girl? Good heavens, have you grown indeed!"_

_A million questions raced through Ingrid's mind, but honestly, she couldn't get them out. For the first time in a long time, she was short on words. _

_"Mom..." she said, saying the first things that came to her mind. "Where did you go? Why did you leave? And... why are you back?"_

_Ingrid closed her mouth, afraid any of what she said might have struck a nerve with her mother. Who knew, she could be emotionally unstable. A drug addict? No, she certainly didn't appear that way. Ingrid closed her mind to them. The only way to find out was to ask or watch her._

_Just then, her father, Michael, descended the stairs, appearing as if he'd just woken up. His brown hair was disheveled, and he was still wearing his pajamas. He rubbed his glasses and put them on, probably woken by Ingrid's outbursts._

_"Ingrid, what's the--" he stopped short upon seeing his wife. _Or ex-wife_, thought Ingrid._

_"Rose?!" he exclaimed. "What're you doing here?"_

_And the next thing Ingrid knew, they were talking inside the study._

She chewed on a piece of corn while letting her mind wander about what her parents talked about inside the study. She was irritated by the fact that her own mother couldn't tell her the truth. She wasn't a child anymore. She was ready to face the truth, no matter how much it would hurt. It was always better to hear it.

She took a sip of her water, casting a brief glance at her parents. They seriously couldn't be more different.

_Opposites attract, remember?_ she thought bitterly. She looked at Ariella out of the corner of her eye, noticing how little she was eating. She groaned. She was already thin. How much more could her body take? And they were eating salad, for crying out loud.

Either she was purposefully eating little, or was thinking. Of course, she was surprised by her mother's return. But that didn't stop Ingrid from wondering if Ariella knew only as much as she did, which was pretty much nothing, or if she knew as much as her parents did.

This certainly was a strange family reunion.

**older_ j_ & _a_ and their tainted love.  
**

Jared had been a semi-vegetarian since he was nine years old, but today he made an exception to eat at a steak house she'd been dying to try, just for her happiness. She'd been quite disturbed lately, and he had to find out. He'd gotten it over the gossip site everyone was crazy about, and surprising even himself, subscribed to it.

Besides, he could always order a salad or pasta or something.

"Order whatever." he said. "I'll pay for you."

"Jared, please, let me. I put you out of your diet, so I should pay." she said.

"No." he said.

"Money's no issue, Jared." she said, caressing his hand. He smiled. _Sap._ he told himself.

"Fine." he said. He called over a waitress, and he placed their order. He ordered a roast-salmon salad, and water. Angeline ordered porterhouse steak, and an iced tea.

After finishing their food, Jared took her hand.

"So, what's this about the e-mails you've been getting?" he asked. It was strange he got this information from some chick's blog, but he wanted to know the truth from her alone.

"Michelle. She keeps telling me to stay away from you or else I might get hurt, and worse, Karen." She was probably so upset over it that she didn't bother ask Jared how he knew about it.

His eyes widened. "Karen? What's she got to do with Michelle?"

She lowered her violet eyes, biting her lip. "I don't know. I know they're friends, but I think she's going to hurt even her for you."

He sighed. Why couldn't Michelle just accept that he didn't love her anymore? Strangely, their relationship had begun from a hookup at a beach party one night, and he felt positively attracted to her, and pursued her. The flames of love died down when they left the summer after junior year, the year he started falling for Angeline, and finally, senior year was where it all spiraled out of control. She was cheating on him, apparently, and ironically, she was the one running after him and being jealous.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked.

"I don't know, Jared. I'm so confused right now." she said. "I don't want to let you go but I don't want anyone to be hurt because I'm with you. Especially my sister. Even though we're not as close as you and Joseph, I really do care about her."

The waitress placed their drinks and the check on the table and walked away, as she was called by another table. He placed a fifty-dollar bill. Neither touched their drink, just locking eyes, perhaps trying to get any answers from the other's eyes. Jared sighed, stirring his drink.

"Come on, we need to go." he said, taking the change out, and helping Angeline up.

Once they were outside, he was thinking of what to say. And what words to use. He bit his lip. It wasn't going to be easy, but for her sake and Karen's, it needed to be done. Karen had gotten some very disturbing packages, and gotten e-mails and videos of things too unpleasant to talk about.

"Angeline... you need to choose. Karen or me." he said, finally, after a minute-long debate on what words to use. He knew she was going to choose Karen, because if he were to make a choice, it would be his baby, well, not-so-baby, brother, over anyone else in the entire world.

"Now?" she said, almost unbelieving, and her eyes filled with a mixture of sadness, pain, and indecisiveness.

Jared nodded. "I'll accept whatever decision you make. I won't judge you for it. But Michelle, she'll stop at nothing to get what she wants. i don't love her, but if I have to get back with her to protect you, I'd do it in a second. I don't love anyone like I love you."

Angeline looked up at him, his eyes with sincerity. Their relationship had mostly been a dramatic one. For instance, her parents prohibited her to go out, and because problems surrounded the both of them whenever anything happy would occur.

"It's as if we were two lost souls... in past lives, we were always driven apart. But completely meant to be." he continued. "And I really do wish, for the sake of those past lives, that we could be together, finally. Screw over the others. I wish life were that easy."

"So do I." she said. She'd made her decision. "Jared, please, for the safety of my sister, my family, yours... just get back with her. Pretend I don't even exist. Tell her... I was just a meaningless fling. Tell her that you love her, and... always have."

She blinked back tears, but they fell, anyway. It was useless hiding what she felt, because Jared would know anyway. And when he'd look at her, she wanted to drop everything and just run away with him, leave everything and everyone behind. She sighed. Impossible, she thought. Stupid imagination.

"Angeline..." he started. He didn't want this to be painful for her, but it couldn't be avoided. It was for the best.

"I love you. But I need to let you go."

When he got home, he didn't even stop himself. He let himself be held by his younger brother, though not understanding exactly what happened, managed to comfort him by his very presence. He leaned his head on his shoulder, and he knew, that despite this, everything would turn out all right in the end.

Let's hope it will.

**a surprising e-mail.**

**To:** "Cornelius Fillmore."  
**From:** "Ingrid Third."

**Subject: Hey.**

Fillmore, can we please talk tomorrow?

I miss the two of us before, before any of this stupid drama actually happened. I'm really sorry I've been... well, a total bitch to you. I think I'm ready to forgive and forget. And I believe I owe you more apologies and explanations than I would care to count.

If it's okay with you, can we meet at the sushi place downtown, lunch?

-Ingrid.

Fillmore typed back a reply on his cell phone after reading the message.

_Sure. Thanks for taking time to do this. We certainly have a lot of catching up to do.  
_

He pressed _send_ and went to bed, finally sleeping with ease.

**sleeping troubles.**

Meanwhile, several blocks away, a certain red-haired girl was having trouble sleeping. She and Fillmore had become close, as close as they were before, perhaps closer, but then recently he hadn't been returning any calls.

She was convinced Fillmore had eyes only for her. He did say that, though they weren't officially together yet. She missed the old Fillmore though.

She decided to take a chance. She was tired of being a miss prim-and-proper-stick-by-the-rules-girl. She wanted to go back to her delinquent days, when rules never got in the way of having fun. To get through a guy, sometimes, you had to make him think _hard._

You know what I mean.

She got up from bed, restless. She probably hit the right time. He was fourteen, probably eager to do some _things_ his parents probably wouldn't be happy to know about. Most boys were anyway. This was where the hormones were kicking in hard, and where the hormones dominate most of what teens do.

Like sex?

**rainy days and loneliness.**

Danny was reading a book in low light. He knew it wasn't healthy for his eyes, but he was restless, and he didn't want to wake his sister by switching on the ceiling light. He was reading a favorite of his mother's, _Pride and Prejudice_, by Jane Austen. It was definitely a difficult one to read, but the story somehow had fascinated him.

He checked the digital clock beside him, the one that he only plugged in before bedtime. He used most appliances like that already, to try and conserve some energy, to at least help his father. He had pretty much minimum wage from his own job, the least he could do was not spend even more money by wasting electricity.

Rain poured outside. The weather amazingly reflected his mood.

His cell phone vibrated, and he opened it.

A text message from Tori.

_D, u up?_ it read.

He typed a response._ Yup. What's up?_

A reply came moments later. _D, I miss you. I'm seriously feeling so lonely right now._

_That makes two of us._ he texted back.

_See u at school tom. I luv u. _it said, surprising Danny.

She _loved_ him? Tori, she'd always said she liked him, but never loved. Did this mean they were _together_ already? What about commitment?

_Agh, screw it. _he thought. _I'll learn how. It's part of growing up. Learning._

_So does this mean I can call you my girlfriend already?_ he typed.

The response came faster than any other he'd gotten.

_Yes._

He wanted to wake Taylor up, jump on the bed, announce it to the world... because he couldn't believe that he finally had something he thought he would never ever have.

A girlfriend. Not as popular, perfect, and amazing as he had always wanted, but he overlooked all her imperfections. She was Tori. _His_ Tori.

**never ever leave any hints you're cheating.**

The following day was extremely busy, that Ingrid wasn't able to speak to anyone for more than thirty seconds. She gave Joseph a quick kiss upon entering, but went to work immediately. Joseph didn't mind her being like that-- he was quite busy himself.

They were going crazy since apparently, a stock of pirated and counterfeited DVDs and PS2 games were found in the gym basement. The safety patrol had been after them since its' initial discovery 3 years ago. but no evidence proved sufficient enough for them to investigate.

Mainly, Ingrid wanted to finish this so she could finally clear things up with Fillmore. The next reason was, she just wanted to have the good ending. She wanted Fillmore to be her friend but Joseph to be her boyfriend. The romantic tension between herself and Fillmore probably died down anyway.

And she had a feeling that he was hiding something anyway. Hopefully, she could find out what it was.

She wanted to tell him about what happened yesterday. She'd told Joseph and Karen, of course, and being a good boyfriend and girl friend, respectively, offered advice on what to say to her mother.

Time flew by quickly, the activity in the office never seeming to stop. And the lunch bell rang. In her excitement, she forgot her cell phone and zoomed past Joseph. She managed to take her wallet, however.

Fillmore waited at a table. He'd been searching downtown for anything related to the conterfeit case since ten. He'd ordered some maki while waiting, and sipped on his red iced tea.

Ingrid walked in, and carried nothing but her wallet. She smiled at him-- the first one in ages-- and went to the counter to order.

Meanwhile, Joseph was left standing, confused why Ingrid just zoomed past him. She pretty much had blown off their promised lunch date, an update on what happened yesterday. They hadn't said much over the phone, since last week someone had tapped into the Anzas' phone line.

He went over to her desk and found that Ingrid had left her brand new BlackBerry there, an e-mail opened out in front of him. Curiosity got the best of him, and he looked at the e-mail.

_**To:** "Ingrid Third"  
**From:** "Cornelius Fillmore"_

_**Subject: Lunch.**_

_Here at the sushi place already. Can't wait to see ya._

"I knew it!" he exclaimed, partly angry partly unbelieving the truth. A few co-officers turned their heads, and turned their heads, but he knew they were still watching him out of the corner of their eyes.

He placed the phone as he'd found it, and knocked once on Jared's door, and stepped inside.

"What do you do when she cheats?" he said.

"You mean if you _think_ she cheats." said his brother, who was, as usual, typing up on his laptop. He'd locked himself away since yesterday and refused to come out of his office unless it was to go to class. "What did you see?"

Jared knew him way better than he'd have liked him to. "I saw an e-mail in her BlackBerry. She's meeting Fillmore at some sushi place."

"Sushi." he repeated. "You have to trust her, Joseph. I'm sure she has a perfectly good reason to be meeting Fillmore alone. I'm sure she'll tell you sooner or later. But if she doesn't, you have to confront her."

He sighed. As usual, Jared was right. Even if he himself was in a rather delicate stage. "Are you okay?"

"I'm not. I just want to be alone." he said, and for a moment, his eyes filled with tears, but he kept them from falling by turning around. He felt hands resting lightly on his shoulders.

"Please talk to me." he said, bending forward and leaning his head on Jared's.

"I wish I could tell you everything."

My chapters seem to be getting shorter. XP Anyway, this hasn't been spellchecked, so tell me if you spot any errors. XD Thanks!


	16. Break Up or Make Up

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

La la la. Back from Malaysia, and here's an update! :D Yay for reviewing. Wish I had cookies to give!

_Disney owns Fillmore, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**- THEXOXOPLAYGROUND . NET -  
x marks the gossip spot.**

**hey love. **

This just in: a woman stepping off the train at Brooks Station, bearing the familiar appearance and complexion of sisters **A** and **I.** Though she looks more like **A.** Unless it was **A** herself, coming from an out-of-state gyno, pehaps? I wonder. Could it be their long-lost mother, even? All I know is that their lives are going to either become more confusing than they already are, or get a whole lot more organized.

As if things couldn't be more intriguing. Sources tell me a hot, recent couple has just broken up yesterday. Both seemed to be upset over it, telling me that they probably didn't want to do it. But why would they break up if they didn't want to?

But with every broken couple comes a new one. Red-headed cutie **D** finally comes out(not like that!) telling people about his girlfriend, **T**. Congratulations, **D**. Hope you stay happy, but this means I'll be keeping my eye on you.

And sources say that **J**'s girl** A **has stopped receiving the threatening e-mails, and so has** K**. Finally, good news for our favorite girls.

Speaking of **K,** she's taken some major shopping therapy. Yes, she came out with the coolest clothes, not even wait-listed for that exclusive, brand-new **Givenchy** satchel, the five-inch silver **Manolo Blahnik** evening heels even I would be willing to work for, or that **Valentino** wrap I've been waiting for and dying to buy, but she's upset. And I saw her ex,** A**, trailing after her, going into the same stores as she did and buying a few things himself. Stalker-much?

So it's nearing December already, and you know what that means: parties, gifts, break, food, and parties. I've already made my exclusive list of people to get gifts for, and our favorite people are included. I'm not signing my gifts though. But I _have_ made a list of things I want for Christmas!

One, Godiva truffles. A girl needs to indulge, right? Two, a new camera. Three, a new BlackBerry. Four, a shopping spree. Five, a trip to New York, Paris, Milan, Barcelona, and of course, London! Six, the calfskin Prada I saw just yesterday. Seven, a party.

There's a lot more I want, but get me one of those and I'll love you forever.

**eye spy.**

Younger** J **walking out of older **J'**s office, looking a little concerned. Why wouldn't he be? **J**'s been as invisible as air since yesterday. Well, not _that_ invisible, but you only see him in class, at the very back. His gorgeous friend** N **appears as if he wanted to drop everything and go talk to him. The poor guy.

While we're on the subject of younger **J**, he seemed upset over something he saw on girlfriend** I**'s** BlackBerry. **Do I smell breakup?

**F **and **I** meeting up at a downtown sushi place. Apparently downtown's the place to be right now! I do wonder what they were talking about. Is this why **J** was upset? I don't think he should be. She seems to just like** F** as a friend. But why blow off the lunch date with **J**?

**A**, or hers and **I**'s mom, spotted at a drugstore, buying medicines. For what, I don't know.

Anyone heard from **W**? He's been laying low recently. I wonder what he's up to.

Well, now, I have to go. I heard there was a sample sale in someplace downtown(yes, it's the new place to be) of an up-and-coming designer **Cara van Fische**. Speaking of downtown, **J, J,** and their sister **A'**s mom, has opened a new store in the **Richmond Plaza** there. Expensive, but totally worth it.

**You'll keep coming back to me.**

**xoxo**

**_i_ sees right through_ k_.**

"So you were with Fillmore yesterday." said Karen, sipping at some coffee. She added brown sugar, and some cream. "How was it?"

"We're finally okay. We're best friends again." she said. "We finally did our catching up, and he's happy with Penny. I guess I should try to get to know Penny. I guess she's not that bad a person. I mean, if Fillmore can go straight, why not her."

Karen nodded. "But they're still different. Fillmore's a good guy."

"Right. I can't believe he's finally going to have a sibling." she gushed, taking a sip of her own coffee.

"I know. You know what they say. Children change people." said Karen, smiling. "Did you tell Joseph? I mean, he looked pretty upset you didn't tell him about meeting Fillmore."

"He wouldn't have allowed me. He still doesn't trust me to be alone with him."

"That's beside the point, I. Like you always say, the truth is better than lying." she said.

"This is different. I didn't lie to him about it. I just didn't tell him about it." she argued, wondering why all of a sudden, Karen was all over Joseph's side.

"Still, you blew off a lunch date without telling him. I think he'd consider that lying." she said. "You didn't even call him last night."

"May I ask how you know this?" said Ingrid. She didn't want a fight with Karen, of all people, but she was curious to know herself. And wondering why Karen seemed to be all protective whenever the subject of Joseph came up. Did she...? Ingrid dismissed the thought. Karen claimed, over and over, that she was done with Joseph, only wanting to be friends with him. But Ingrid pressed her memories, trying to remember how Karen looked when she said that.

It was definitely an asset to have photographic memory, because she saw the insincerity in Karen's eyes when she said that.

And when she looked at Karen's eyes again, they told her the same thing.

Ingrid looked down at her hands. "You're still not over him." she said, it coming out more as a statement than a question.

Karen turned guiltily. She knew it was wrong, wrong to like, _love_ Joseph when he was with her best friend. But she couldn't help it. Joseph was her first. Not exactly her first love, but her _first_ first.

_Should I tell her?_ thought Karen. _She deserves to know it, after all. But I could jeopardize her relationship with Joseph. Oh God, I wish I weren't put in this position. I wish I didn't have to be the one to tell her._

"Karen, what is it?" she asked, her green eyes wide with worry. "Are you okay?"

She blinked, her heart thumping wildly. She looked Ingrid dead in the eyes. Before she could stop herself, she let her mouth go faster than her mind.

"There's something you need to know, Ingrid."

Ingrid frowned, expecting that probably she and Joseph kissed or something before. Or heck, even during their relationship. She couldn't blame Joseph though, because Karen was definitely dream girl material.

"Ingrid... Joseph and I... eighth grade..." she started.

Eight grade. Ingrid thought. The year the rumors started flying around, the year that people started feeling things no one thought they'd feel yet, the year when some people started growing up. The final year in middle school, she knew, that was most definitely filled with secrets. She was bracing herself, preparing for Karen admitting to a secret relationship, which she'd always expected, but they always denied.

But she wasn't prepared for this.

"We... we did it."

"Did what?" Ingrid said, even though she knew exactly what she meant. She felt her lower lip trembling, the sign she was going to cry.

"_It_ it." said Karen, staring at the floor. She couldn't bear to look at Ingrid.

"I knew it!" she cried. Ingrid didn't stop herself. "All this time, you both claimed you were over each other, but obviously you still aren't. I wish he'd told me earlier, K. I wish he were the one who told me. No wonder we hadn't done anything yet, it's because he still thought of you."

"Ingrid, I'm sorry." she said, taking her friend in an embrace. She was surprised she wasn't pushed away, instead, she found Ingrid burying her face into her shoulder. And Karen knew she wasn't angry at her. She was just upset Joseph had lied to her. Probably, he told her that he hadn't done anything with anyone.

"K, I'm going to break up with him. Obviously you love him more than I do. And you deserve him more than I do." said Ingrid.

Karen was feeling lightheaded, in addition to confused. She thought she would be rejected as a friend, not the other way around. She thought Ingrid would be angry at her, and stay with Joseph even if he did do it. It was how she imagined it to turn out. Ingrid with Joseph, no matter how many girls he'd been with, because she always thought they made such a perfect couple.

"Don't you love him?"

"I do. I really do. That's why I'm going to let him go. I'll find someone else."

Karen let a tear fall from her eyes. Ingrid pushing away her feelings for her? She realized, then, how lucky she was to have a friend in Ingrid.

Breaking up, or planning to, is hard to do.

**it's either break up or make up.  
**

Joseph had mixed feelings about his brother. A part of him was sorry for whatever happened to him, another worried, and the other was irritated at him. Jared was being "all emo," as Asceline put it, and he didn't even understand himself. Miracle he still managed to get As on his tests. And he didn't want to talk. He kept being mysterious about everything he was doing, only going out of his room to go to school.

And Joseph's concern for Ingrid was growing. She hadn't called him, e-mailed him, or even talked to him yet, offering any possible explanation as to what she talked about with Fillmore and why she skipped their lunch date. He didn't mind, really, since Ingrid probably was okay, ready to forgive Fillmore, finally. But did she have to blow off their date? Without telling him.

Breaking up crossed his mind several times already, but he wanted to be sure that he really wanted it. He didn't want to regret it.

Speaking of breaking up, he hadn't seen Angeline and Jared together for some time. He wondered, maybe that was why Jared was so upset. But things were going so well for them that he didn't even know why they would break up. He sighed, and decided to drop by and visit Angeline. His afternoon was free, anyway.

"Mom? I'm going out. I'll be back in a few hours!" he called, grabbing his jacket from the coat room.

The ten-minute walk gave him enough time to think about him and Ingrid. He'd always imagined them as forever. As he always imagined Jared and Angeline. He honestly thought it was weird if he dated Karen and Jared dated Angeline. Not that he planned on dating Karen. Yeah right.

He slapped himself.

He knocked on the door and the stock English maid, Hester, immediately allowed him in.

"Ell, Joseph, here to see Miss Karen I presume." she said.

"No, actually, I wish to speak with Angeline." he replied.

"Very well. I shall call for her then. Would you be coming upstairs?"

He nodded. "Yes, Hester, thanks." he smiled.

He followed the middle-aged woman up the grand marble staircase to Angeline's room. It was the second double-door from the stairs, her name elaborately embroidered on a piece of silk and hung on her door. She had embroidered it herself, and her mother called it one of the most exquisite pieces she'd seen.

Hester knocked on the door, and went inside, while Joseph stood, waiting. He was afraid to sit or do anything in fear of breaking the vast collection of various antiques that the Tehamas had collected over the years. A price tag dangled off a porcelain vase, and it read three thousand dollars. He frowned. Probably it was rescued from some sunken ship. It had some water marks on it.

Hester motioned for him to enter, and she left them alone.

"Joe, hey." she said, smiling.

"Ange, what did you do to Jared?" he asked. The mere mention of his name made her turn away.

"Guess he didn't tell you." she said. "It was either we broke up or the threats continued."

Joseph's jaw nearly dropped. "Threats?"

"Michelle is still possessive of Jared. She sent threatening e-mails, and videos of gory stuff to Karen, and even notes written with blood." said Angeline. "They needed to stop."

Joseph placed a hard on her arm. "Ange, I know Michelle. If she really can't get something, she'll eventually give up. I don't see why you are."

"I don't want anyone tto be affected by the things I do."

"You affected Jared, Ange. He's not coming down to eat, he's working too hard, he spends too much time alone, and he works out too hard." he said. "You can't leave him. He's a mess without you. Please don't give up on him. Ange, I love him, and I hate to see him like this."

She gave him a small smile. "Well. I never imagined you being the one to talk some sense into me, no offense. Thanks." she said, giving him a hug. "I think I'll go and um... visit him."

"And I'll take care of Michelle."

They went out of the house together but separated at the gate, since Joseph was going to the city to settle something. He took out his phone halfway out, and dialed two on his speed dial. He pressed send. The other line rang several times before voice mail activated.

"Hey, it's Ingrid. I can't answer right now, so just leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

Beep.

He sighed. Was she really that busy or just avoiding him? The past few days were hectic for both of them, what with essay season going on. Essay season was when the English teachers pretty much gave essay homework every other day. The best essays entered state and nationwide competitions. And in addition to this, their safety patrol work.

"It's me." he said, his voice sounding small to him. "Listen, Ingrid... I know the past few days... weeks, have been rather hectic, and I completely understand why we can't talk much anymore. I really miss you. I've grown tired of the presence of paper and folders and computers. And... Ingrid... I don't know what you're up to anymore.

Whatever it is, if the stress is getting to you, if you're seeing someone else... just please be straightforward with me. So once you get this message, give me a call or a text back. Just... give some effort if you want this to work. Can you meet me at the beach? Under our tree. I'll be waiting."

He slid it shut, and hailed a cab going back to the beachfront place, where the first party had been. After the Wayne incident, he and Ingrid had stayed under a palm tree, in an area far from people, slightly hidden by rock formations. They'd gone there after they first kissed. He bit his lip, a sudden sadness coming over him. It seemed like a long time ago.

He closed his eyes, going back to the day. It had been a wild and surprising night. After the incident, he and Ingrid had gone to walk, and stayed under the tree pretty much the whole night, talking, even fooling around a bit. But not too much. Before they left, they'd carved their initials in the bark, a heart between them. They'd fooled around a bit more, and went home at a time he couldn't remember. But he knew he'd given her his infamous brown jacket that night, and she hadn't returned it since. It was probably the first time she saw him without it.

His phone rang, throwing him out of his reverie. Ingrid.

"Hello?"

"Hi... I'll go meet you there. I think we have a lot to talk about." she said, her voice sounding slightly different.

"Are you all right? You sound like you've been crying. We can go another day."

"No, no, it's okay. I'm fine. I'll be there."

"Okay. Bye." he said, hanging up.

_I forgot to say I love you._ he thought. _Maybe I'm not sure if I still do._

Fifteen minutes later, he was under the tree, and he heard sand crunching under someone's slippers. Ingrid. He turned to see all five feet and four inches of her, coming towards him bringing a paper bag with her. She wore the same shorts she wore that night.

"Hey." they said, at the same time. Suddenly, he felt a warm rush again, like he was falling for her all over again. Then, thoughts of Karen came by, short ones, and it disappeared.

They both smiled at each other. They both sat down at the base of the tree, their backs pressed up against the trunk. Joseph tentatively reached out his hand to touch hers, but Ingrid didn't flinch away. She was the one that took his.

"So what's up?" he said.

"A lot. Safety patrol cases, essays, math homework, history paper, mom coming back, Ariella being all quiet..."

"No." he said. "You. Not others. What have you been doing?"

The question would sound accusing coming out of someone else's mouth, but not from Joseph. He made it sound like more of a casual question.

"Joseph..." she started. "How come you never told me?"

"About what?" his voice became sharp, but never losing its calm. So he _was_ hiding it.

"You and Karen." she said. "Eighth grade. How come?"

"Sooner or later I would have. I just didn't want you to look at me as some playboy." he said. "We did it on a whim. But now, we're both being careful. We were both scared after, because we didn't use... um, protection. Luckily, we weren't going to be parents. I'm sorry." He sighed.

"Well. At least that's one less burden you have."

He nodded. "And what were you doing with Fillmore?"

"Talking. We're cool now. I can't believe he only told me now about his baby brother slash sister." she said. "But it'll be interesting. Babies change people I guess."

"Yeah." he said. "Ingrid... I need to know. Do you still love me?"

This made her turn to him. "Joseph... I really don't know. I'm not sure if I love you or just like you." she said, hoping it came out as sincere as she wanted it to sound. She wanted Karen to be happy, even if she did love the same guy as she did. "Because... sometimes I just don't know if I can go on without you or if I can't."

"These past days gave enough time to think. But I know I still do love you. I just want to know if we should end this now, when it's still fine, or when it's a lot worse, or if we can be forever." he said, looking her dead straight in the eyes.

She lowered her eyes, taking the paper bag.

"I think you'd want this back."

He already knew what it was. His jacket. It was really over.

"Do we get rid of the carving?" he blurted.

"No. Never." she said, and kissed him, for probably the last time.

He pulled away, not too much, just letting his face linger near hers. He smiled, cupping her cheek.

"It's time to move on."

**im conversations.**

**JaredAsh**: Little bro, what did you do? Ange suddenly comes over when you left!  
**iCEDJoseph**: You should be thanking me you baby.  
**JaredAsh**: I suppose. But seriously why did you do it?  
**iCEDJoseph:** You know I love ya right?  
**JaredAsh:** You are such a sap. I love you too, sucka.

**WayneL:** Fill? There?  
**CFillmore:** Yupyup. Sup man?  
**WayneL:** Er bored. Arcade please.  
**CFillmore:** I'm there! Hah. I'm bored too. I don't wanna do homework.  
**WayneL:** Nice influence officer.  
**CFillmore:** Whatever. I know you don't want to either.  
**WayneL:** Right right. Haha. Bring Anza. I miss the dude.  
**CFillmore:** If I can find him.  
**CFillmore:** His bro says he went out dawg. I was looking for him earlier.  
**WayneL:** Oh. Darn. Must be out with _**I.**_  
**WayneL:** Maybe they've finally sealed the deal.  
**CFillmore:** Dirty, dirty. Hah. But maybe. Maybe.  
**WayneL:** What? Some random number sent me more rumors.  
**CFillmore:** Of who?  
**WayneL:** Anza and Ingrid breaking up?  
**CFillmore:** What?  
**CFillmore:** Oh, I got it too. Wait, you're subscribed to the gossip gal? Oh man!  
**WayneL:** You are too. HAH.  
**CFillmore:** What do you say to a boys' night out?  
**WayneL:** I'm in. Bug Anza. He'll need a little cheering up.  
**CFillmore:** Awesome.  
**CFillmore:** He says yes.  
**WayneL:** Cool. Arcade?  
**CFillmore:** Seven?  
**Wayne:** Okay.

Okay, the IM conversations were there so I could like add something new. XD Hope this was long enough. It seems so short. Haha.


	17. Partying Hard Can End Up Weird

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

FYI, this chapter fast-forwards a few weeks in the timeline. :D

_Disney owns Fillmore, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**- THEXOXOPLAYGROUND . NET -  
x marks the gossip spot.**

**hey love. **

The December atmosphere is definitely the most magical one in the year. Christmas décor, sparkly new seasonal fashions in the windows of malls, and of course, the white, glittering, cold snow. Everything's beautiful in Winter, so we'll have to shine with it.

Finally, it's Christmas break! No homework to do, requirements and tests to stress about(yet), and finally, time to party till dawn! Of course, there are some rather unlucky people that'll have to spend Christmas break somewhere in **Aspen **or in **Canada **in their vacation houses up there. If you're one of them, don't worry. I'll have all the details of what happens while you're not here. Just pray for an Internet connection.

Like I said, it's party time! And come on, don't be a spoilsport. Join the games instead of being a wallflower. You might even find someone you'll like. Nudge nudge. And I'm hosting the season's first party. Come to the **Ice Clubhouse** at seven, where it's actually not cold but warm. I could think of a few more things to make it hotter. _Nudge_. So dress appropriately!

**eye spy.**

Lonely **J** spending a day just in the park. Aw. Must be thinking of **I** or **K** again. I seriously cannot believe he and **I** broke up. Speaking of lonely, Aussie **A** was also there! Maybe our two lonely boys bonded in the park?

Older **J** and **M** finally settling things in the XHS corridors a week ago. Sorry, I forgot to mention this in my post last week. Wow. **J **must love **A** that much, that he somehow overpowered the queen bee that is **M**!

**K** longingly staring out the window. At who, I wonder.

**J**'s best friend, **N,** checking out a... _guy_? Hm, no wonder he never lasted more than a month with a girl. It's only for the fish in the aquarium to know, unless he does come out. Word is that the BFFs are exchanging naughty IMs. Best friends or boyfriends?

**D** and girlfriend **T **doing a little PDA! That is one lucky girl. **D** is way too adorable.

**I**, sister **A**, and their mom, **R**, shopping for Christmas gifts. **A**'s boyfriend **G** was looking for something in the mall for her. And the trial, apparently, is next month. They already did the biopsy, found the suspects, and have someone that will testify for **A**, who is none other than their cousin **A**!

**W **_also _taking a walk in the park! Well. The lonesome threesome. Interesting.

**F** and mom going to the clinic for her monthly check-up. How sweet of **F**!

And, **V**, our ever so hard-working leader, working even harder at a fast food joint uptown? Wow, something must be going on.

Well, I've gotta go! Party prep time. Whoo! See you there.

**You'll keep coming back to me.**

**xoxo**

**you have no idea.  
**

Fillmore had accompanied his mother to the doctor for the check-up. She was five months in and the baby looked healthy, though she didn't reveal to him the gender yet. She was strictly following her recommended diet, to avoid complications. Fillmore was born premature by two months, and Joelle wanted to avoid that.

"Ma, when are you going to tell me?"

"Tell you what, honey?" she said, even though she already knew what he meant.

"Please?" he asked.

She chuckled, her eyes still focused on the road. The green light switched to red. She pulled the brake. "All right then. Your father and I have decided to name her Devi. We were originally leaning towards Devonne but we wanted something more unusual." she said, smiling. "You're going to have a new sister!"

"That's great!" he exclaimed. This was going to be interesting. He hadn't actually seen his mother taking care of kids before, so this was a first. And he wondered what Devi's room would look like, what she was like. He wondered what a baby was really like. Like a child, he was very curious.

"So ma, I'm going to be bothering you with tons of questions." he said. "You game?"

She laughed. "Well if you're ready for lots of crying, game on."

Fillmore laughed. "It can't be any worse than safety patrol work right?"

"You have no idea."

**not-so-alone in the park.**

Joseph slid open his Sidekick and read the new installment on the gossip page. This one just came in text form, but the sender was just listed Gossip Queen. No number. A lot of guys denied they subscribed to the blog, but in actuality, almost everyone in the school was subscribed. Him and Adam Lane in the park together, _bonding_? He was dubbed a loner, now _gay_? He shook his head. The world really was coming to insane stupidity.

"Hey." said a deep voice from behind him. He rolled his eyes. He knew it was Adam.

"Uh, hey." he said, his eyes fixed on the expression on Adam's face. His green eyes were difficult to read. "Everything all right?"

"No, actually." he replied, brushing away his auburn hair. Even Joseph had to admit he looked really good. "I just... well, I really like Karen. I feel terrible for cheating... I mean, I was just out for the night and it just happened." He scratched his head.

Joseph sighed. "Girls. But I guess we're all the same. After all, we're all human. You'd be jealous too if you found her cheating."

"Yeah I guess." he said. "But she broke up with me right after, without even letting me explain!"

"Then she probably doesn't like you. She's like that. If she doesn't like you, she'll just leave you." he said, feeling a little bit of pity for Adam. He could sense he was genuine. "Hey. If it's any consolation, you're not the only one loving someone that doesn't love you back."

"Ingrid?" he said. "But she's still crazy about you."

"Not anymore." he said. "We broke up weeks ago, remember?"

"But she keeps talking about you." said Adam, his unknown expression turning into one of confusion. "If she wasn't into you, why does she keep asking me about you? We're not even classmates."

Joseph's brow furrowed in confusion. "Ingrid's so hard to understand sometimes. She can't understand herself. When we broke up, she didn't know if she loved me or not." he said. He had no idea why he was revealing the most intimate details of his relationship to some guy he barely knew, but he couldn't stop. "She just gave me back my jacket and said nothing more."

"Weird." Adam said. He sighed. "Come on. I need to talk to someone about this. Who better than a guy who feels the same?"

Joseph nodded. What did he have to lose? Besides, he wanted to let it out too. He just didn't know who to talk to about it. Wayne and Fillmore didn't have too much experience. It was also kind of awkward if he talked to his dad about it. And he was kind of beginning to like Adam too. Adam looked like the type of guy that knew a lot about girls.

"I think we're going to get along quite well." said Joseph, throwing his arm around Adam's shoulders.

"Awesome. I could use an actual friend. Everyone I've talked to seems to just like me for the outer appearance. All the other guys are intimidated, according to someone." he said. "Although I don't know why. It was like that even in Australia. All my friends were girls, and a couple of guys down at the beach."

"Hm, really. I can't imagine." said Joseph. All girls and barely any guys? That was strange. "Play any sports?"

"Surfing mostly. But I can hardly do that here. Barely any waves while there's some sun." he said. "Though I play basketball, baseball, sometimes even some lacrosse. None of the X teams really interest me."

"Huh, that's new. Not even Bocce?"

"Nah." laughed Adam. "Track bores me, rugby's too damn crazy, football's too cliché, wrestling's got too many bulky guys, and well, half the basketball team's gay..."

Joseph laughed. "Nice. How'd you know that? Most people don't find out."

"I tried out. I swear, one of the guys smacked me on the ass." he said, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "Gross."

And so, they talked until the sky became dark. He had yet to meet a guy that was so much like him, felt the same way about pretty m;uch everything. Both good athletes but weren't interested in the teams. Safety Patrol work was something that didn't interest Adam, though.

Joseph checked his watch. Seven PM. Wow, had he really spent four hours with Karen's ex? The guy he at first disliked and thought a playboy? More importantly, how did Adam find him there? It was like he knew exactly where he was going to go.

"A, I gotta head to the party. You coming?" he said. They'd spent an hour playing Guitar Hero III, trying to get the highest score in Expert level. Joseph won.

"Yeah sure." he replied, putting down the Guitar Hero controller. "Might as well meet someone new there."

"Don't feel too bad. You might and I might as well." he said. "Come on."

**im conversations.**

The IM conversations will serve as a sort of break in the story. Just so you know what they're saying while the other stuff are going on.

**Ingrid3x**: Going to the party?  
**WayneL**: Yup. I'm actually here right now.  
**Ingrid3x**: What're they wearing?  
**WayneL**: Everyone's coming in coats and winterwear, due to the freezing climate, but when we're inside, you wear shorts, t-shirts, underwear, or even nothing. Gross. :P  
**Ingrid3x**: Please tell me you're wearing something.  
**WayneL**: Maybe, maybe not. But I'm a decent guy.  
**Ingrid3x**: Ass. :P Okay, I'm heading there.

**iCEDJoseph**: K, going to the party?  
**xoKaren**: Here already! In the hot tub.  
**iCEDJoseph**: Whoa, mind if I join ya?  
**xoKaren**: There's room for more.

**CFillmore**: Anza! Party?  
**iCEDJoseph**: On the way. I'm with Adam L.  
**CFillmore**: WTF, you're with him now?! I thought you were going single!  
**iCEDJoseph**: **PERV**! Not that way. I guess we're friends now.  
**CFillmore**: LOL. Aight dawg. Guess what, I got a sister!  
**iCEDJoseph**: Awesome, man! About time that family of yours grew.  
**CFillmore**: I know. See ya.

**JaredAsh**: What the hell do you wear to the party?  
**NateCalls**: Wear nothing man.  
**JaredAsh**: Fuck you. LOL.  
**NateCalls**: You are so damn hot I want to fuck you to the mattress.  
**JaredAsh**: I knew you wanted me.  
**NateCalls**: Oh hells yeah. I am SO obsessed with you that I have a freakin' shrine in my locker for you.  
**JaredAsh**: STALKER!  
**NateCalls**: Yeah I follow you in the locker rooms watching you get dressed and shower.  
**JaredAsh**: LOL, pervy freak! I'll just bring a shirt and shorts.  
**NateCalls**: Right on. Same here.  
**JaredAsh**: See ya sucka. We're changing together.  
**NateCalls**: You want me too. I knew it. Adios amigo.

**when in the first party of the season, you party hard.**

Upon arriving at the party, you'd immediately have the urge to take off your coat. It was hot, but tolerable enough if you wore something like shorts. Drinks served were sweating outside of the glass.

Everyone was either dancing, lounging, in the hot tub or making out with someone.

"A, I'm heading off for the tub. You coming?" asked Joseph. They were on an initial letter naming basis now.

"Nah, I'm just gonna join I Never." he said. "Go get hot."

Joseph laughed. "You are so corny."

Joseph walked to the multiple hot tubs. It was kind of cliquish, because in one tub were the goths, another the jocks, another the extremely crazy people, and another the popular people. Joseph was asked by several to join, but he was looking for Karen, who he found with the popular people.

He leaned close to her ear. "Surprise." She turned.

"Hey!" she said. "Come on, let's join the patrol people. They're in the tub there." She went out, waving goodbye to her friends there. Joseph couldn't help himself looking her up and down, wearing a scarlet-colored bikini that fitted her body perfectly, and seemingly enhanced her shape. He spied Adam from the distance, who was trying not to stare. Some other boys weren't attempting to stop.

Joseph linked his arm with hers, both walking to the tub where Wayne and Fillmore were busy chatting. Wayne was wearing an undershirt that clung to his body and a pair of swim trunks. Fillmore just wore dark blue swim trunks.

"Mind if we join?" said Joseph, taking off his shirt and sweater, gaining a few viewers from afar, girls trying not to stare. The jeans came off, and he jumped in the tub, splashing Wayne and Fillmore. Karen laughed.

"Jerk." said Wayne, splashing him with water. Fillmore joined in too, until everyone in the tub was completely drenched.

"Okay, okay! Enough, guys!" said Karen, who was still laughing. "Let's join in I Never."

Everyone went out, and joined the growing circle of the players.

A senior, Dan Pearson, grinned at the newcomers. "Come on in guys."

They nodded, and several people moved aside to make room.

Dan spun the bottle, and it landed on Jared.

"Hm, let's see. I've never plucked my eyebrows before."

Several girls, and a few guys drank a shot, earning a few "Ohs" from the guys who discovered their guy friend's grooming.

Jared spun the bottle. It was a slight twist to the game. It landed on Joseph. Jared grinned at him across the room.

"I've never been hit in the nuts." he said, laughing.

A collective response of "shit" went around, and more than half the guys took a shot. Joseph spun the bottle, and it landed on a junior, Gretchen Calloway, Nate's younger sister.

"I've never had sex before." Several people gulped, but took a shot. That included Jared, Joseph, Karen, and Adam.

"Oh, ho ho." said Jack Nicholson, an infamously known pervert.

She spun it and it landed on Enrico Yvanez, a sophomore known for being outstanding in rugby.

"I've never cheated in a relationship and come back begging forgiveness." he said, slightly bitter.

Some people drank. He spun the bottle. It landed on a freshman girl, Lara Knight.

"I've never blabbed to someone else about who my best friend was secretly dating and lied about losing my virginity."

People stared at her, then slowly, her so-called best friend Annisa drank.

"Bitch." she spat.

Uh-oh. Do we smell a catfight?

"Ladies, please." said Jack. "Fight later. It's a party, and we party."

By the end of fifteen rounds, drunken people were already either dozing off or bothering other people and blabbing out their deepest secrets. Joseph found them comical, but felt pity that they couldn't hold in their liquor. He was feeling a bit tipsy himself, taking already about 6 shots, or eight, he didn't know.

Karen was already tipsy, but she wasn't anywhere near drunk. She tugged on Joseph's hand.

"Come on, let's go outside, please. It's getting boring and like... people wanna scratch out each others' eyes. 'sides, Ingrid's probably enjoying Fillmore's company." she said. He stood up, and she stood up, Karen stumbling towards Joseph.

She giggled. "Sorry, Joe, help me out."

"Easy there." he said, chuckling, as he slung her arm across his shoulders. He could already sense where this was going, but he didn't exactly want to stop it either. He felt bad for Adam, but there was just something different about how he saw Karen now. Alcohol plus old flames plus teenagers, always, if not often, leads to hooking up.

They went outside, clad only in their swimwear. It was freezing, but the tipsiness made them too lightheaded to grab the towels on the rail. Joseph thought someone was anticipating them here, but he didn't know what to make of the towels.

"So me and Adam are kinda friends now." said Joseph, his mouth faster than his mind. "I spent the whole day with him today and we totally agreed on girl problems and shit."

"So are you like boyfriends now?" she teased.

"Nah. He's hot, I'll give him that. But girls are more my type, okay?" he said, grinning. Why was he always hooking up at parties? Wait, they weren't even kissing yet!

"That's good." she said. "Because if you liked guys, I wouldn't be able to do this."

She pushed him down on the snow and kissed him. Already, the feeling that he felt when he was in eighth grade... it came back. He'd been waiting for a moment like this since he'd met Karen, and here they were, making it happen.

Just then, they heard Jared yelling "Oh my fucking God!"

Both got up and walked into the building, looking out for anything that might have been going on. Well, there was. Nate, Jared's best friend, all over... Wayne?

Joseph himself had to comment. "Oh my fucking God!" he exclaimed, making his brother turn to him.

Well, what they said pretty much summed up what all the other people who noticed felt. They had no idea if it was alcohol-induced or real. The two teens went to a side to casually observe and freak out.

"How come our best friends are gay?" they asked each other at the same time.

"I have no idea." they said. After a few moments, they burst out laughing.

"Ah, Joe." said Jared. "So now what? I saw you and Karen."

"Snoop." said Joseph. "I like, no, love her. But I don't know if I'm ready for another relationship."

"Then don't push yourself. Just do it when you're ready." he said. "And remember, no more letting relationships interfere with your work. I've pressed enough to keep you off desk duty okay?"

"Got it. Thanks Jared." he said, kissing him on the cheek.

A week ago, Ingrid had occupied his mind, and he'd let a goon loose right under his nose. Needless to say, he got into some hot water and was placed on desk duty by Vallejo for the next two weeks, but Jared had managed to make the sentence lighter to a week. It was sort of to avoid being accused of being biased and playing favorites on his brother.

Thanks to Joseph, Jared was back to being Mr. Overconfident-Workaholic-Study till dawn-It's Business-Dude, but thanks to his girl problems, he became _much _nicer and more sympathetic.

Joseph sighed, seeing Ingrid walking out with Fillmore.

"At least she's happy." he said.

Jared saw the pain in his eyes. "Hey. Don't worry. You'll find someone else." he said, squeezing his hand.

**more im conversations.**

**iCEDJoseph**: That was the bomb, G!  
**GossQ**: I know that, J. I am so the best partythrower. Best of all, no one discovered who I am.  
**iCEDJoseph**: No one but me!  
**GossQ**: You are so irritating. But that's okay. All the more reason I should spread evil rumors about you.  
**iCEDJoseph**: You know you do love me.  
**GossQ**: Ha.

**JaredAsh**: I'm jealous.  
**NateCalls**: Aww you poor baby.  
Let me make it up to you tonight. I am seriously gonna fuck you into your mattress.**  
JaredAsh**: So why Wayne?**  
NateCalls**: Hot. Hot. HOT. He was drunk but I couldn't help myself.  
**JaredAsh**: I can't believe you chose poor Wayne as your first victim.  
**NateCalls**: You're really jealous? OMG I thought you were sarcastic! But who knows, I might even love the guy.  
**JaredAsh**: I am _not _jealous! I have a GF, idiot.  
**NateCalls**: Touché, my love.  
**JaredAsh**: You are so gay, man.  
**NateCalls**: Thank you ever so much.  
**JaredAsh**: Adios amigo. I need to sleep. LOL. I'm gonna get a major hangover tomorrow.  
**NateCalls**: Same here. Good night sweetie.  
**JaredAsh**: Good night baby. Sweet fucking dreams.

**CFillmore**: Party was awesome dude.  
**DannyAndTheFlash**: I know.  
**CFillmore**: You missed out I Never. Craziness yo.  
**DannyAndTheFlash**: Heh, I bet it was. Any new secrets out?  
**CFillmore**: Now look who's a gossip! Nothing much cept Anza's already done it it. With Tehama I think.  
**DannyAndTheFlash**: Hell whoa. I thought they were still innocent!  
**CFillmore**: I've suspected Anza, but not Tehama. Man, we're only like 14.  
**DannyAndTheFlash**: Hahaha. I know. But hey, what's done is done. I can't believe Wayne made out with a guy!  
**CFillmore**: Hell yeah. He was drunk so the other guy probably just took advantage of the guy. Yikes.  
**DannyAndTheFlash**: Poor Wayne then. He got gayified thanks to the other dude.  
**CFillmore**: Well the gossip gal's got lots to talk about. See ya soon dude.  
**DannyAndTheFlash**: Heh. See ya.

Okay, end of update! Hee. I believe I owe you guys faster updates. XD I haven't been doing that much recently.


	18. Manipulation

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

I'm reintroducing a character here. Finally, a love interest for Wayne. :D

_Disney owns Fillmore, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**- THEXOXOPLAYGROUND . NET -  
x marks the gossip spot.**

**hey love. **

I got so hungover from last Friday I didn't update yesterday. I just stayed in bed yesterday with nothing to eat or drink but water. Now I'm feeling incredible. Sleep is amazing.

Like all parties, something interesting(read: crazy) always happens. But mine, well, wow. A lot happened.

Our _I Never_ game turned crazy when everyone's secrets started getting out. I don't think that's my fault, because I was just playing the game, not making the statements. Well, I guess I did a few statements.

Then, two people going outside in the snow, making out. Well now, who? That's only for the trees to know.

And two hot guys we thought completely straight making out! I have no idea if they're actually coming out or if it was alcohol-induced, but yeah. Boys kissing boys. Actually it _was _kind of hot.

**eye spy**.

Aussie **A** & younger** J **hanging out at **A**'s place. So are they like, together now? They don't do PDA (yet) but maybe they do _stuff _in the house. Naughty, naughty.

Older **J** IMing **N** and girlfriend **A**. Someone's a little lazy to get out of the house today. What he's saying in them, I don't know, but I _do _want to know. Something about an officer thinking kinky thoughts just turns me on.

**F** talking to** I **on the phone until their parents yelled at them to get off the phone. But** F**, what about **P**?

**W** waking up with a hangover yesterday, not seeming to remember what happened. He probably has no idea he's been dubbed gay.

Some sources tell me older **J** and **N** were making out in the park one day. I wonder if they're secretly dating...

Well, I'm still tired. I'll update when I feel like it. I don't know how many boys I made out with last Friday!

**You'll keep coming back to me.**

**xoxo**

**wayne, wayne, don't go away.**

Yesterday, Wayne had woken up on his bed. He had no idea who brought him there and what happened before he passed out or something, but he knew he'd been drinking too much again. He had a hangover yesterday and today wasn't any better. He was feeling slightly lightheaded. He was feeling a bit ashamed that he couldn't hold his liquor.

Today, he received a message from Gossip Queen, shocked at the line meant for him, that he was dubbed gay? What did that mean? And who the hell was N? And Joseph being with Adam? What was the world coming to?

He checked his e-mail. One was from Officer Quentin, checking in with him. Addison was caught, finally, and brought in for questioning. He was surprised that Addison had managed to cover his tracks for that long. He'd killed about twenty people, pretty much mass murder. The interrogation would resume later, four o'clock.

Wayne thought he was incredibly well-blessed to have lived, that he religiously went to the chapel each day. He even re-signed with the Safety Patrol, and was now working with Ingrid and Fillmore.

Other e-mails were random updates from Facebook and MySpace, and the essence of the message was pretty much in the title so he just deleted everything. He was helping Hotmail reduce server occupancy, so he was doing them a favor for that.

The doorbell rang, and he went downstairs. Kenneth and his mom were out on their anniversary date. It was just noon though. He got them an wood carving of their wedding photo. It doubled as a clock as well, combining both traditional and modern gifts for them. It had cost him a grand 200, but it was completely worth it, seeing how happy they were.

"Wonder who's there." he muttered to himself.

He opened the door, and almost dropped his phone.

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed? "Em?"

The petite blonde smiled at him. Emily Kinzey. Her hair had grown out, from the short cut to long, soft waves.

"May I come in?"

"Uh... of course. Come in." He removed the security chain and let her come in. She hadn't grown much though.

"What's up?" he asked, tentatively.

"Wayne, you don't have to be awkward with me." she said. "It's me. Okay? And I'm here to spend Christmas with my grandparents." She smiled, her green eyes glittering.

"Em... I have a problem." he said.

"Just like old times. You, me, your porch." she paused. "Only, no more porch. Come on, let's hang."

"Sure. The porch, well, it's at the back, but it'll do." he said, smiling.

"Great." she said. "You know, Wayne, you never seemed to get the Tennessee accent. I wonder why."

He laughed. "I don't know. I must be pretty cool then."

The two of them headed to the porch sitting down on the second step. It didn't feel much like home, but it sure passed.

"So... what's your problem? Aside from um... your dad. How is he?"

"He's dead." he said, flatly.

"What?" she exclaimed. "How come you didn't tell me earlier?"

"Sorry... I just... didn't want to talk about it until I accepted what happened." he said. "I guess I didn't want any sympathy."

"I'm sorry Wayne." she said.

"It's not your fault." he said. "Em... I think I'm gay."

"What?" she exclaimed, for the second time. "Wayne, you're surprising me too much. How come you think you're... gay?"

"Well, it's a long story. Two days ago there was this party, and one minute I'm talking to someone and the next thing I know I'm in my bed with a major hangover." he said. "And today I find out people are dubbing me gay, though I don't know why. Maybe... someone saw me doing something. I guess it was all that alcohol..."

"Alcohol?" her voice turned sharp. "Wayne, I thought you stopped. I thought... God. You've changed so much."

"Can't help but change, Em." he admitted.

"Wayne, where are you?" she said. "It's like I'm talking to a complete stranger right now. I mean, the Wayne I know would've said something else."

"I'm not the same anymore. You have no idea what hell I've gone through these past months." he said.

She sighed. "Then tell me. I have all the time you can possibly need. Just don't go away without saying anything this time."

**cooking with _j_.  
**

Joseph woke up with someone's hair in his face, at a different house, and not on a bed, but an old, beaten leather couch.

"Shit." he muttered, jerking his upper body up and shoving the guy off. Oops. Adam.

"Ow!" exclaimed Adam. "What was that for man?"

"Sorry dude, I got surprised." he grinned, offering a hand, which Adam took. He pulled him up. "What the hell were you doing on top of me?"

"I have no idea, seriously. I think we fell asleep playing that." he said, gesturing to the still-on, but on standby mode, TV, and the PS3 placed on the black carpet.

"Oh. Must've been a boring game then." he laughed.

"I agree." he said. "Argh. I'm starving. Up for cooking or McDonald's?"

"Cook please." he said. "What stuff do you have there?"

Both walked over to the kitchen, scouring it for any ingredients.

Joseph grinned. "You got lemons?"

"Yeah, lots. My parents love them." he said. "I don't quite know why."

"Awesome. I've been craving lemon pancakes." he said. He pulled out some flour, eggs, and a juicer.

"You know how right?" said Adam, looking slightly worried.

"Yes." he said. "The whole family helps with breakfast every day."

"Good." said Adam, breathing in relief. "Cause I can barely boil water. I can only cook a hot dog, actually."

"Then you'll learn." said Joseph, firmly. "Mix these." he said, pushing some ingredients towards Adam. "I'll take care of the lemons."

"Fine. If I botch this up--"

"You won't. Not with me here at least." said Joseph, laughing.

"Good then." he said, laughing. "Okay, how do I crack this thing open?"

"What the fuck, man." he said. "Smash it lightly on the rim of the bowl. Then take the shell apart."

Adam did as told. "Fucking awesome." he grinned, like a child being shown how to mix colors.

"This the first time you're cooking something?"

"Nah. Karen cooked the last time she was here. And I burned something. Oh well, at least parts were still edible." he said.

Joseph laughed. "You suck."

"So help me!"

"I am!" he laughed.

After teaching him how to flip over the pancakes, he grabbed a plate and placed them there. After that, he threw a fistful of flour at Adam's face. He was shocked for a few moments but eventually said something.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"For making cooking hell to me." said Joseph. "Bon apetit."

He broke into a grin. "My pleasure, buddy."

**two of older _j_'s im conversations.**

**JaredAsh**: Hey baby, good morning!  
**NateCalls**: Dammit, I was just dreaming of you.  
**JaredAsh**: LOL, you seen my bro? Didn't come home last night. I covered for him telling dad he slept over at Corn's.  
**NateCalls**: WTF Corn. LOL. You are such a mom. Worrying about sweet little Joseph. He can take care of himself, dude.  
**JaredAsh**: I'm just looking out for him!  
**NateCalls**: That is so sexy, a guy as hot as you looking out for his even hotter little brother... oh I can imagine all the hot incestuous things you do...  
**JaredAsh**: Sicko. When will your perverted thoughts stop?  
**NateCalls**: Never. Remember, you're topping tonight.  
**JaredAsh**: Oh boy. Bring the lube this time. I'm sucking you dry.  
**NateCalls**: Ooh, you naughty beast.

**JaredAsh**: Hey babygirl.  
**AngelofMusic**: Hey Jared. Morning!  
**JaredAsh**: Seen Joe anywhere? He didn't come home last night and isn't answering his phone.  
**AngelofMusic**: Oh, okay. Um, I haven't, but I'll try to help you out, kay?  
**JaredAsh**: Kay. Love you.  
**AngelofMusic**: Love you too.

**craziness must run in the family.  
**

Jared laughed. Nate was crazy. He and Nate were always exchanging stupid, lewd, perverted, naughty instant messages just because. Angeline knew about them and just laughed at them whenever they played gay, even out of the computers, like their play-groping from time to time. He and Nate were playing sex-crazed gay guys whenever they talked through text or IM or e-mail. It was just funny for the both of them. It was also to make any possible third party reader flush with secondary embarrassment at their shamelessness.

Not that they actually tried anything of what they said, because _that _would be totally wrong. But they _have _tried making out before, just to shock some girls that were both stalking and ogling them one day. He had to admit, Nate wasn't a bad kisser.

He tried Karen, Fillmore, Ingrid, Danny, even Vallejo. Finally, he called Adam Lane, and Joseph answered, sounding as if he'd been laughing for the past hour.

"Hello? The Lame residence, Oddricodomon speaking!" he said, laughing, and Jared heard a male voice telling him to shut up.

"Joseph!" he snapped. "Where have you _been_?"

"Sorry ma, I fell asleep on Adam's couch. I'm cooking him breakfast to make up for crashing here." he said.

"Funny. Get your ass home after cleaning up. Lucky I covered for you."

"Okay, okay. Thanks then. I'll make it up to you. I love you!" he said, putting down the receiver.

Jared stared at the phone for a full minute. Joseph was crazy. Thankfully, he was all right. Maybe the craziness ran in the family?

**those lucky patrollers... or not.  
**

Fillmore actually found himself liking two girls. He'd always liked Ingrid, always. From the moment he'd laid his eyes on her, he knew she was different. He knew there was something special about her. And as usual, he was right.

But Penny, she was different too. He liked her too. They had chemistry too, only Penny was more of a bad girl than Ingrid was. And for Fillmore, that was something he couldn't resist right now. There was always a part of him that conflicted with how much good he wanted to do. Sometimes, he just wanted to break the rules to get what he wanted.

He wondered if Joseph would be okay if he went out with Ingrid. He knew they broke up weeks ago, but Joseph seemed a little too sad lately, not putting his heart into his work, letting the Carbee smuggler escape right in front of him. He tried to appear composed but he just couldn't do it.

Of course, he'd go out with Ingrid in a second if not for his friend.

How lucky of Fillmore. He had two girls to like that liked him back but he couldn't choose. Wouldn't we all want to be as lucky as he.

His computer made a pinging noise. He walked over and took a seat.

**Penny4yourthots:** Heyyy, come over to my place please?  
**CFillmore:** Be there in five.

It was the third day of Christmas break, and he was already bored, so why not? He grabbed a coat, hat and scarf, and walked outside. It was freezing cold, so he quickened his pace. He knew it was best to keep moving when it was cold.

In six minutes, he arrived at Penny's doorstep. She answered the moment her pressed the buzzer, as if she'd been waiting for him right in front of the door.

She wasn't dressed in winterwear. She seemed to be dressed for a... well, slumber party, in a lacy blue Cosabella nightie.

"Hey, come on. Drink something." she said, handing him a glass of apple juice.

"Thanks. What's up?" he took a long gulp. "Hmm, nothing much, really. I'm bored. Glad you invited me over."

"Come on, let's watch a little TV." she said.

Fifteen minutes later, they were fiercely making out on the couch in her room. She pushed a drawer shut, the small, empty bottle making a noise when it rolled to the back. Fillmore had no idea what he was doing. The juice he drank was spiked with gamma hydroxybutyric acid, aka GHB, or liquid ecstasy.

"Come on, let's do something really fun." she said, pulling his hand.

**w discovers why people assumed he wasn't straight. how surprising.  
**

**NateCalls:** Heeyy you!  
**WayneL:** Ummm hi. Can I help you?  
**NateCalls:** Ah you don't remember do ya? I'm the guy you fucked after the party.  
**WayneL:** WHAT THE HELL?!  
**NateCalls:** LOL, just kidding kid. I made out with you, nothing more.  
**WayneL:** I don't recall.  
**NateCalls:** That's fine. So what now?  
**WayneL:** Uhh, I gotta go now.

_WayneL has signed off at 19:57:23._

"Em!" he called out into the hall. Emily was crashing at his place that evening. She was in the guest room, borrowing Wayne's Wii.

"Yo, I'm here!" she said. "I beat your score!"

She gestured to the numbers on the screen.

"So you did." he said, smiling. "So I found out what happened. The guy that made out with me IMed me."

"Wow, he knew you already?"

"I guess so. Though I haven't heard that name... Calls. Nate..." he scratched his head. "Huh. The only guy I know with a similar name is Nate Calloway, some senior, Joseph's brother's best friend, but he's as straight as a metal ruler."

"So what, are you pursuing the guy?"

"I don't know, really." he said. "I'm straight one minute and the next thing I know, I'm gay without knowing it."

"Well you probably aren't. Don't let the rumors get to your head."

"Right." he said, shocking Emily, as she jumped when he swung his legs on the edge of the bed.

"God, you're still like that. Always surprising." she said, her hand accidentally brushing against his, creating a wave of warmth they once felt back in Tennessee.

"And you're right again." he said, as he pressed his lips against hers. They were soft, glossed with something vanilla. She always had something vanilla-scented. Be it her lipgloss, body gel... now wasn't the time to go into detail.

They spent the next twenty minutes making up for all the lost time. They didn't do anything much but just look into the other's eyes and hold hands and kiss, but it certainly was something neither of them could describe in words. Wayne had left without telling her. If only life were as simple as this.

Finally, Emily broke their silence.

"Wow, Wayne... if you hadn't left I figured this would've happened sooner, but just... wow. I can't believe this is happening." she said, her green eyes glittering. "It's only now I realized how much I really missed you."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." he said, brushing his hand on hers. "But I'm glad you're here."

**inside the third residence... trouble brews.  
**

Finally, Ingrid and Ariella were talking like the sisters they were before the whole rape incident happened. Ariella was still hiding her emotions in her shell, but at least she was talking now. Their mother had somehow brought out the better of her two girls.

Ingrid hardly ever approached Ariella with the topic of the rape, because it would let hell break loose with her.

"So who now?"

"Who now?"

They were sprawled out on Ingrid's white duvet, staring at her star constellation-mapped ceiling, made by one whole month of painting with Joseph. She became wistful for a moment when she eyed the heart-star Joseph had made up for her. But she quickly banished the feeling.

"You know. Who's next? The next guy who'll be lucky enough to get you?"

She snorted. "I don't know... I kind of want to be single right now."

"Ingrid single? Yeah right." she said. "With all the cute boys in your little safety patrol..."

"Oh please. Wayne's trying to figure out what he wants, Jared and Danny are taken and Fillmore I have no idea, then Joseph..." she sighed. "Karen loves him."

"Wait, did you...?" started Ariella. "Did you break up with him for Karen?"

"I, well--"

"Ingrid..." said Ariella, sounding as if she were about to go into lecture mode. "If you like Joseph, I don't see any logic in you breaking up with him."

"I needed a break." she said. "Our relationship was too strained and I don't think we should have been dating at such a difficult time."

Ariella sighed. "Whatever you say sis. But I don't doubt for one minute that you still love Joseph. And I don't doubt that you still love Fillmore."

Ingrid stared at her. "How come you know me so well?"

Ariella grinned. "Because I do."

"Do you hear that?" said Ingrid.

"Hear what?" Ariella rose, because there was something in Ingrid's voice that told her something was wrong.

"Sh." she hushed, tiptoeing over to the wall.

"Ingrid!" she whispered. "You can't eavesdrop on mom and dad!"

"Yes I can. You're curious too."

"Fine."

The two girls pressed their ears to the wall. Apparently, it was actually quite thin.

"Michael, I told you, I was just their accomplice. I didn't even know it until I was charged! While I was working, you were sitting here, miserable to find a job! It wasn't like I did something wrong."

"Yes you did. By joining in with them, you managed to make your daughters' lives more difficult than they had to be. They grew up without a mother for God's sake! And don't you dare imply me as lazy!"

"Didn't you tell them I was dead?"

"No. I told them you were away in some other country. I figured you would come back some day." said their father's voice.

Rose sighed. "Well I'm glad. I can't make up the twelve years in prison to them, but I can try."

Both girls pulled away. "Prison?" said Ingrid.

"What did mom do?" said Ariella.

"I don't know."

**oh hangovers.**

Hangovers were increasingly getting more common with Fillmore. He woke up, of course, not in his own bed but a couch. Penny's couch. He groggily pushed himself up, looking for a clock. He found one, and it read seven AM. Oh shit.

He looked around the room for Penny, seeing if she could offer any explanation of what happened the previous day. But she wasn't there.

The bathroom door opened the moment his feet touched the floor. She came out only wearing a towel.

"Penny?" he rubbed his eyes. "What happened?"

She smirked. "You did a lot of bad things last night, officer." she said, tracing his jaw. "But I don't think I can give you all the details."

His eyes narrowed. "Why not?"

"Because I said so." she said. "You probably drank something with E, honey. But I don't know who did it." She shrugged, the towel dropping dangerously low on her chest.

"What did you do to me?"

"You needed a little fun. So I took you on a night out. And let me tell you, you sure can party." she said.

"Penny, what did you do?" he said, his voice raising.

"I'm not telling you. But if you do hurt me, I'll have proof, and send it out." she said, opening a drawer. She pulled out a CD. "This, Cornelius, is the proof of what deeds you did last night."

"Give that to me." he warned.

"Or what? You can't hurt me. I can charge you with assault and break-in."

He let out a frustrated groan. "What do you want?"

"You're going to do as I please. And if you do, this secret stays a secret. I give the CD to you." she said.

"Fine." he said. "It's as if I have a choice."

So does he love Penny now? I don't think so. Apparently, she's still an evil manipulative... bitch.

**and the ims keep going.**

**iCEDJoseph:** Hey, I.  
**Ingrid3x:** Hi.  
**iCEDJoseph:** Were you at the Laser Club place yesterday?  
**Ingrid3x:** No, why?  
**iCEDJoseph:** Well I saw Fillmore and Penny and they were kind of making trouble.  
**Ingrid3x:** No way! What were they doing?  
**iCEDJoseph:** It was gross, they were like making out everywhere. Fillmore seemed to be kind of out of it cause he wasn't responding to me. And forgive me if my eyes deceived me, but it looks like they were taking X.  
**Ingrid3x:** OMG.  
**iCEDJoseph:** I have a feeling P's doing something to him...  
**Ingrid3x:** Ugh.

**iCEDJoseph:** I hope you're not harassing Wayne, N.  
**NateCalls:** Who ever said I was, sugar?  
**iCEDJoseph:** LOL. I just hope not. I don't think he's into you.  
**NateCalls:** Awww, you're jealous too. Come on, there's room for more tonight.  
**iCEDJoseph:** What?!  
**NateCalls:** Me, you, your brother, doing the night away. You two are a den of incest.  
**iCEDJoseph:** EW! Creep. LOL, no way, I have to screw with you alone.  
**NateCalls:** Swear?  
**iCEDJoseph:** You bottom.  
**NateCalls:** Sweet!

_iCEDJoseph has signed off at 14:32:01._

**xoKaren:** Jared, is Joseph there?  
**JaredAsh:** Umm yeah, he's screwing with my boyfriend.  
**xoKaren:** WTH. Bad influence, chief.  
**JaredAsh:** Blame Nate, K.  
**xoKaren:** Oh, so he's your boyfriend. Done anything yet?  
**JaredAsh:** Hells yes. The whole night.  
**xoKaren:** Okay gross. Seriously.  
**JaredAsh:** Hahaha. So what's up?  
**xoKared:** I just wanted to see if he wanted to hang out but he's busy, so lol.  
**JaredAsh:** Yeah, he's screaming at the top of his lungs.  
**xoKaren:** Kinky.

**anonymouse:** GQ, saw F and P at the Laser Club. They were like all over each other and taking some serious shit.  
**GossQ:** Really now. Thanks for the tip, hon.

**back to the third residence.**

"Mom, can you please explain to us?"

She smiled at them. "Explain what, honey?"

Ingrid bit her lip. "Mom, why did you really leave us? Ariella and I, we heard part of your conversation earlier."

She took a breath. "Girls, sit down."

Both obeyed.

"It's a long story, but since it's break, I suppose you will have all the time to listen."

Aight, that was pretty long. Bug me for any errors/inconsistencies. Thanks for reading, and hopefully, reviewing! :D


	19. More Than Just Help

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

LOL, what do you think of their screen names? XD Sorry, I couldn't come up with better ones. So here's the next chapter.

Can't resist pimping the LJ community. community _dot_ livejournal _dot_ com _slash_ **xmiddleschool.**

_Disney owns Fillmore, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**- THEXOXOPLAYGROUND . NET -  
x marks the gossip spot.**

**hey love. **

I've received a lot of tips from people about what happened in the **Laser Club** a few days ago, when a certain two people went in, appearing drunk, overserved, and of course, underage. I don't know how they managed to escape the bouncers, but yeah. They were there, unruly as can be, but my many sources tell me that they were all over each other. I'm not about to reveal them, because I do care for them. Well, one of them actually.

So, that's the news for today, and possibly the whole week. But while everyone buzzing about that, I have more news for you. So it seems **W** isn't gay at all. I saw with my very eyes, him and a girl getting kind of intimate on the porch. But I don't know her. Petite, blonde, and green-eyed, I don't seem to know. But I will find out. And you'll be the next to know.

**the IM rumors...**

It's come to my attention that more and more people are reporting on how a certain best friends duo are chatting. But my question is if they actually do any of the stuff they type! Or are they founding a new way of cybersex?

**eye spy.**

**I** looking wistfully out of her window. Careful now, we don't want you to end up on the front page of the news.

**J** and **J** packing up for a trip. I don't know where, but I'm betting they're going to Europe.

**N** skating alone. Awww. Poor guy.

So much to talk about, so little time! I'll be attending the art exhibit dinner at the Elizabeth Museum. To the ones invited, see you there! To the ones not, well, I'll update you in case anything interesting happens.

Ciao.

**You'll keep coming back to me.**

**xoxo**

**the plan.**

His parents would kill him if they found out he took GHB. He found the empty glass bottle tucked into a drawer beside the couch and the glass he'd drunk from days ago, when Penny started being all mysteriously... evil. Again, she duped him, and now, he was paying the price for his stupidity. He was going to be Penny's slave to anything she wanted, until he could get his hands on the disc and erase all traces of it on her computer.

He was home right now, and he was glad to be there. Before leaving, he placed the glass bottle in Penny's father's room, hoping he would get the hint that his daughter drugged him. Or maybe that she was a druggie herself and should be sent to rehab. Just maybe.

He pressed on a random number on his speed dial and waited for the person on the other line to answer.

"Hello?" answered a groggy voice.

"Yo Joe."

"Fillmore." he groaned. Seems Anza was victim to most random speed dial calls. "It's six AM, get back to bed man... the sun isn't even up yet."

"Sorry. But I need help man... cause it's about Penny."

He heard the ruffling of bedsheets and a light switch flicked on. "Yeah I'm listening... seriously what happened? I was there at Laser but you weren't answering your phone when I tried to call and you weren't answering me when I called your name right in front of you."

"Shit, man, sorry. Penny must've drugged me really bad."

"Drugged?" said Joseph, his voice raised.

"Listen, I found a bottle of GHB... an empty one, actually, after I woke up in the drawer in the table where my glass was placed." he said. "I have no idea what I was doing, and what I was doing, it's on a CD. And Penny's computer."

"Oh God." said Joseph. "I hate you for stealing my sleep, but you're gonna make up for that some other time. Now, if you wanna get rid of it, there's a lot of plans I've got, but I have one that's going to be effective, highly effective, but very risky."

"Okay share the non-risky ones."

"Actually there aren't but I'll give you ones with less. Sneak into her house, steal the CD, and clear her computer of it. Check every video and picture and PowerPoint. Or alternatively steal her hard drive and the CD and get rid of whatever it is you want to get rid of. Or you can lure her out of the house and sneak in to get the stuff, but that's going to give you way limited time."

"Damn. And the riskiest plan?"

"Drug her with what she drugged you."

"What?! You're crazy, man." said Fillmore. "I can't do that... she might have seizures or something."

He heard Joseph sigh and could almost see him rolling his eyes. "I told ya. Then get her to talk about it. And _then_ you get rid of it."

Fillmore grunted. "I suppose. Thanks man. I really can't trust her. I wonder why I ever did."

"Hey, everyone makes that mistake. So consider this a lesson. Now, I can't help you out with this, cause we're heading to France tomorrow for the Winter. Combloux or Les Gets or something, I have no idea. So you're on your own in this one."

"Aight. Happy vacationing Anza. And thanks."

"Remember you owe me my sleep. Au revoir."

Joseph hung up and Fillmore was left to decide which plan would work best. He thought that luring Penny out of the house would be easier, but how on earth could he ditch her when she clung to him at least ninety percent of the time? He was going to need an accomplice, but Joseph and Jared were immediately ruled out because of the France trip.

Ingrid would never participate in such an activity so he crossed her out of the list too. And Wayne, probably he would think he reverted back into his old days, Danny wouldn't understand, and Karen might get freaked out at him if he told her he got drugged.

But definitely, he didn't want help from an old comrade. He'd seen what they could do behind his back.

Fillmore sighed. Vallejo definitely wouldn't agree to this. Maybe Wayne would. Maybe.

But first, some shut-eye. He hadn't slept well, and like Joseph said, it was six in the morning, and probably no one else was awake. So why not snooze.

**packing up for the vacation.**

Jared rapped on his brother's door. He was permitted not to, but manners and formalities were forever engraved in his brain. He turned the crystal knob and found Joseph's clothes strewn all over the floor, his empty Samsonite luggage in the middle of it all.

"Whoa, World War III." he commented.

"Yeah, I know. I hate that Mom just told us yesterday at dinner. I'd have packed up sooner. You know how bad I am at packing stuff."

Jared snickered. Last year, Joseph had forgotten to pack an essential item skiing in his the place bearing his name, Aspen. He'd forgotten his winterwear and his toothbrush and most embarrassing of all, underwear. Jared had given him his, but made him never return them. Luckily, they were new boxers.

"Ha ha." said Joseph.

"Well I found out that a certain somebody is also going to be at the same resort as we are."

"Who?" said Joseph, as he stuffed a jacket and a scarf inside.

Jared shook his head and took out the items, neatly rolling them and placing them inside. "Our mom."

"Mom mom?" asked Joseph.

"Mhmm. Said on some news site that she goes there every year. 'Agnès-Yves de Brosse, still keeps winter vacation tradition.'" he said, quoting the title. "Apparently, her family's been going there for generations, and they've always got a suite in the lodge always ready exclusively for them."

"Wow. She single?"

"Nope. She's actually married right now to some guy named Émile." he said. "They have a daughter, named Jacqueline-Noëlle."

"Really?" said Joseph. "Maybe she really named her after mom, to maybe remind her of what she did for her."

"Maybe. Now, come on, you've got a lot more stuff to pack."

"You're done?" said Joseph, his silvery-blue eyes wide.

"Duh." he said., rolling his eyes. "Don't forget your underwear this time, or you're using Nate's."

"Ew!" he exclaimed. "You have his _underwear_? Oh my God, what have you two been doing?!"

"Look who's the perv now!" said Jared, laughing. "And you need to be ready for the art gallery dinner tonight. Black tie."

"Aw man. I hate wearing formal attire."

**_i_ has learned about sacrifice.  
**

Ingrid's brain had processed information more than this before, but the impact of the truth about the long disappearance of her mother made this story much harder to completely understand. It wasn't a matter of using her brains, it was a matter of understanding it by heart. Which, she self-admittedly, was not good at.

When they married, they barely had enough money to support themselves, let alone two children. So their mother worked with a shady group, the Black Snake, which disguised themselves as a charity, but were actually bank robbers. Their mother's job was to relay messages to avert suspicion. And they managed to make off stealing from banks for six years.

They were finally caught two years after Ingrid's birth. They mentioned her involvement, and she was sentenced to twelve years in prison. The others were sentenced from forty years to life in prison, because some people were hurt and killed during the robberies.

It was hard to accept, but honestly, you'd be surprised at what a mother would do for her children.

As with a father. Their father, having difficulty at finding a good job, worked two jobs. One, a salesclerk at a department store, and two, as a kindergarten class teacher. He taught Ariella in her first years of pre-school.

But their mother's work had helped them a great deal. Because of her, they were able to buy a house, a car, and quality education at first. But as with all good things, there are bad ones too.

Ingrid's growth without a mother, without knowing one, had made her a problem child since she was in the fourth grade. Luckily, Fillmore had been there to turn her to the more rational side of things.

Lying back in her bed, she'd finally understood and appreciated the simple reason behind everything that had been going on. Love.

And if her parents could do something for them, that much, without really expecting much back, why couldn't she?

Finally, they could have a peaceful, non-awkward dinner together. And they would get through Ariella's case together. Ingrid shamed herself for being so angry at her mother in the first place. Her father had told her, that when she was five, she had thrown out an album of photographs. It had mostly contained herself and her mother.

A tear fell down from her eyes, cascading down her cheek, but she didn't wipe it away. She just let it fall. And another came, and another. She couldn't stop them from falling, because all the emotions she'd bottled up for the past month finally broke through her, and she could do nothing but let them out.

When she saw Karen and Joseph the other day, playing in the snow, she couldn't help but feel jealous. But seeing her happy was one of the reasons why she broke up with him in the first place. So. That was sacrifice.

**_w_ dispels the gay rumors.**

Wayne had taken Emily to a homey drinks place downtown. It was an old-fashioned house setting, complete with fireplace and TV and jukebox. It was owned by a nice old couple and their six children, five of which were off at college. The other one was in high school, but was attending a boarding school in New Hampshire. It resembled a lodge, which was perfect for the winter season. Thus, raking in a lot of customers.

He and Emily were sitting by the fireplace, drinking hot chocolate, exchanging stories about what else had happened in the past year.

"And the guy gives me the finger, then Ingrid bags his head!"

Emily laughed. "That's what he gets for being a jerk."

He squeezed her hand. "Why don't you move here next year? I mean, your family's already got a house here."

"Oh, Wayne, as much as I'd love to, my dad won't. He loves it in Tennessee. All his friends are there, his work is there, and he loves nothing more than spending a day at the fields. He and my brother are really the same about it, y'know?" she said.

"Then maybe I'll just go visit you down there... and uh, try stuff I haven't tried with you." he said. Her lips curled into a sheepish grin.

"You've gone perverted. What have they been teaching you here?" she said, smacking him with a brown suede pillow.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, earning a few curious glances from the other people there. "That pillow's tough."

"And I thought you were tough." she said, kissing his lower lip. He felt people's eyes on them, but he didn't care. Screw them. He was enjoying his time with Emily. And no amount of gossips would ruin that for him. He shamelessly claimed her lips with his, soft, gentle at first, but gradually increasing in passion, begging for access.

"Mm, who's horny today." said Emily.

"Nah. It's just nice to kiss you."

Emily giggled. She never recalled Wayne being as sweet as he was right now, but needless to say, she enjoyed it.

For whoever said he was gay, they were completely wrong.

**you guessed right! more im conversations.**

**xoKaren:** J! How long are you guys going to be gone?  
**iCEDJoseph:** We'll be back before New Year's, K.  
**xoKaren:** Great. I swear, I'm missing you already.  
**iCEDJoseph:** Aww. I miss you too. Don't worry. We'll only be gone a week.  
**xoKaren:** Okay. Take care.  
**iCEDJoseph:** Love you.  
**xoKaren:** Love you too.  
**iCEDJoseph:** And K... about us...  
**xoKaren:** Yes?  
**iCEDJoseph:** Can we keep quiet about it first? I don't want anyone prying into our relationship like Ingrid and I were.  
**xoKaren:** My thoughts exactly. At least tell people we're close to?  
**iCEDJoseph:** Okay. Only F, I, D, A, A, and our family are to know.  
**xoKaren:** All right.  
**iCEDJoseph:** Bye.

_iCEDJoseph has signed off at 15:39:42._

**EmKinz:** IDK, Wayne and I might be together now.  
**Lilla04:** aww cool. ilu 2 together. ur 2 perfect fer each other.  
**EmKinz:** Really?  
**Lilla04:** course. been that way since 7th right?  
**EmKinz:** No!  
**Lilla04:** Yes.

**Ingrid3x:** Hey. What's up?  
**xoKaren:** The sky. lol, jk. But J and I are kind of together now. But shh. He doesn't want anyone to know.  
**Ingrid3x:** Congrats. Best to the both of you.  
**xoKaren:** Hey, you okay with it?  
**Ingrid3x:** Yeah... just take care of him okay?  
**xoKaren:** I promise.

**scrapping metal.**

Drunk, his father had bet ten thousand dollars at roulette. Unfortunately, he'd lost, thus worsening the already bad money problem. His mother wasn't saying anything, but he could tell that she was ready to burst at any time. She'd been loyal and faithful to him these past seventeen years, but when a woman's had enough, she's had enough.

Vallejo had taken another job scrapping metal at a junk shop. It paid more. So now, he was basically supporting himself while his parents worked out their problems. They told him not to interfere, but his allowance would have a dramatic decrease. Of course, since he put most of it to his savings, he didn't want that. So there, he took another job.

It paid twenty-five dollars an hour. Definitely not bad. In fact, he'd lost a lot of weight due to his work. It was an added bonus to all he'd been working for. So far, he'd managed to save seven hundred dollars in a bank account his parents didn't even know about. It was a start.

The owner of the yard was impressed by him, because of his determination to get the job done. Whenever he was asked why, he simply said he wanted to go to a good college.

His birthday was in a few days, but it wasn't like he could celebrate it. His parents would probably be too cheap to even have dinner out with the family. He sighed.

"Hey, kid. Happy birthday." said Mr. Tomlinson. He was a fortyish man, with prematurely greying hair. He didn't have wrinkles yet, though, and was rather short, standing at around five-three. He was kind of what you'd imagine most historians to be like.

"Thanks, boss." he said. "But it's not till Tuesday."

"No, that's all right. Finish up your work and come into my office. I have something for you." he said, before walking away.

Vallejo hated surprises, but he just nodded. Not like he could force the guy to give it to him right away.

He sorted out the used pieces and nuts an bolts and aluminum pops from the top of soda cans. Then he gave them to the guy that would put together the sorters' work. Then they would melt down some of them to make artificial legs for people who were amputated or people born without a leg. Others were cleaned then made into other objects.

After two hours, of doing the task, he knocked on the door of Mr. Tomlinson's office.

He heard a faint response, and opened the door.

"Yes, you." he said. "Come here."

He took several steps to the desk in front of him. "What is it, sir?"

"Here's a gift from me to you. It's not much, but I hope it will help you somehow." he said, shuffling through a folder. He pulled out a small sheet of paper, and handed it to Vallejo. "It's for your schooling. Your mother told me about what your family's been going through, and I thought you deserved it."

"Wow, Mr. Tomlinson... this is a bit too much, don't you think?" his eyes widening at the amount written on the check.

"No. Take it. And make sure you're every bit as determined as you are during college." he said, smiling. "Go get 'em kid."

Five thousand dollars? It was more than _just_ a little help.

End chapter nineteen. Wow, I've gotten this far. I can't even believe it. XD Thanks to everyone still reading and reviewing.


	20. Christmas Eve Eve

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

Here goes the next chapter! Sorry I've been ignoring this for a while. Got addicted to LJ. Hahaha.**  
**

_Disney owns Fillmore, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**the thought that counts.**

Today was his birthday, and today was a cold day. He was kind of glad that his birthday was during winter break, because he didn't like being greeted out in public, and repeatedly. He was a guy that honestly preferred a quiet birthday, or any occasion for that matter, than an all-out one.

He received a few text messages from patrollers, friends, and family, and he'd replied thanks to all of them. It was the thought that counted anyway.

And he found a white envelope there on his desk, innocently placed there, just waiting there for him to open it.

He cut the side open. There was no return address or even a name, but VALLEJO was written on the side in block letters. He tipped it sideways, pressing the folded ends to reveal two one-hundred-dollar notes, and a piece of paper, with handwriting he knew was Anza's. Joseph Anza's.

_Happy Birthday, chief. Sorry can't be there. This isn't much, but I figured you deserved something nice. Thought that counts, right? And Merry Christmas. Enjoy the break, and don't overwork yourself.  
-JA._

Yup, it's the thought that counts. _Thank you, Anza_. he thought.

**what the hell do you say to a mother you never met?**

After unpacking, the two teenage boys went out to look around the resort. This was their second time here, but it had been years since they'd last gone there. So it felt like their first time there.

Jared snapped a photo of Joseph standing on the snow, staring out into the distance. He might as well model for their mother's winter collection for guys. But knowing Joseph and his disdain for publicity, well... that was kind of unlikely to happen, even if their mom promised an increase in allowance.

"Delete that. I look retarded." said Joseph.

"You always do." said Jared.

"I hate you."

"I love you too." said Jared, tweaking his nose.

Joseph frowned. "Wonder which her cabin is."

Jared stared at him. "You seriously want to met her?"

"Well, yeah." said Joseph. "I just want to at least see her once, and well, I'll be good."

"What if she doesn't want to meet us?" said Jared.

"Trust me, she will." said Joseph.

"And when we do see her, what do we say?" said Jared, taking a random picture of the place. "What the hell do you say to a mother you've never met?"

"We call Ingrid." said Joseph.

"Dude, long distance. Dad's going to kill you." he said.

"Mmm, you're right." said Joseph, sliding his Sidekick shut. "Well, we just figure it out. Oh, look, that's her!"

"Where?"

Joseph pointed at a tall woman, walking beside an adorable brunette girl, who looked about nine years old. Joseph walked over to them, while Jared watched him curiously.

"Mademoiselle Agnès-Yves? May I speak with you a moment?" he said in French.

She nodded, brushing her long hair from her face. "Of course, monsieur. Are you in need of help? I can direct you to the first aid or something if you'd like."

"Mama, who is he?" said the girl, eying him curiously. "You look familiar."

Joseph smiled at her. "Really? But no, I don't need to go to first aid. My family's vacationing here, and I think I recall seeing you in a picture with my parents before. Does the name Anza ring a bell?"

She gasped. "Goodness, yes! I've been wondering how Madame Jacqueline is. Where are they now?"

"In the cabin." he said. "Would you like to see them?"

"Oh yes, I would." she said, her eyes gleaming. "What beautiful children they have." she said, smiling, and for a moment, her face was wistful. She turned to the child. "Come, Noëlle. You shall meet some friends of mine."

Joseph grinned at Jared. Jared shook his head, smiling. Leave it to Joseph to get what he wanted. Jared followed up with them, and he heard part of their conversation.

"Well, my name's Joseph, I have an older brother Jared, and a younger sister Asceline, but everyone calls her Celine. She thinks her name sounds too old, but I don't think so." he heard Joseph say. "Oh, look, Jared's right behind us."

Pretending he'd just gotten there, he grinned at Joseph. "Hey bro." he said, kissing his forehead. Was it him, or did Joseph grow taler again? "Hi there." he said to the two. "Guess my brother told you our life story already."

Agnès-Yves, as it's the proper way to address her, laughed. "Oh, you two are funny. Reminds me of myself and my sister. Oh if only she were alive right now." she said, looking down. They switched to English, since she could understand it anyway.

"I'm sorry to hear that." said Joseph. "Here we are." He said, turning the knob. His parents were sitting by the fireplace, while Celine was watching The O.C. on the laptop.

"Mom? Dad? We ran into an old friend of yours!" said Joseph. Both of their parents turned around.

Jacqueline stood up, walking quickly towards Agnès-Yves. "Oh, goodness, Agnès, how long has it been?" she said, kissing heron both cheeks, as she did the same. Adam Anza followed, watching the two women.

"At least sixteen years." she said, smiling. "Hello, Adam. What a lovely family you have. Unfortunately, my husband's busy with business, as he always is. Where's Noëlle?" she said, looking around the room. She was already piggyback-riding on Joseph. Both women smiled.

Jared was beside Celine, watching the O.C. with her.

"Well, at least they make nice siblings." commented Agnès-Yves. "Do they know yet?"

"Yes. Several months ago, they'd found out on their own."

"How did they deal with it?" she asked, her green eyes wide. "They were acting completely innocent about it when they met me outside?"

"Really? Oh, those two. Too many talents, but they never use them for things like school productions." said Jacqueline.

"I suppose we'll need to talk. Come, sit by the fireplace." said Adam. "I'll prepare you a cup of hot chocolate."

**points for execution.**

Fillmore had enough. Penny had already gotten him into enough trouble as it was. His parents were already beginning to question his strange behavior. His mother commented that he seemed to be returning to his old self, and that she didn't like it one bit.

He'd apologized, making it slightly better for his mother's opinion about him, but he reasoned he was just going through a strange phase of being distant again. His mother nodded, but she probably didn't believe him.

He had to get that CD. And he wanted to do it without hurting Penny, physically. He didn't care about her emotional state. She was a crazy psycho bitch. She spiked his drink with alcohol yesterday, and he didn't know what happened after.

And so, he took a vial of GHB from Penny's cabinet, slipping half of it into the drink. He had to be careful. He didn't want to call 911.

Anza better give him points for execution. The place was completely clean. And he cleaned off the vial before tossing it out the window. Now, all he had to do was wait for Penny to fall victim to it, lock her in a room with no potentially dangerous stuff, and take the stuff and destroy it. Then Penny could trash him all she wanted, but have no evidence of it.

**im conversations.**

**NateCalls:** Hi honey!  
**JaredAsh:** I miss you.  
**NateCalls:** How's France?  
**JaredAsh:** Met my biological ma.  
**NateCalls:** She gorgeous like you?  
**JaredAsh:** Yes.  
**NateCalls:** And your pa?  
**JaredAsh:** Have no idea where he is. :P  
**NateCalls:** Poor you.

**CFillmore:** ANZA!  
**iCEDJoseph:** Hey. What's going on?  
**CFillmore:** I'm waiting for her to finish drinking. Then I nab her hard drive.  
**iCEDJoseph:** You actually went through with it.  
**CFillmore:** Desperate times call for desperate measures. Enjoy France! Bring me home some Evian.

**WayneL:** Hey Karen.  
**xoKaren:** Wayne! What's going on?  
**WayneL:** Wondering if you wanna come over and meet Emily. My old partner from TN.  
**xoKaren:** Sure, I'd love to. Should I bring F & I over?  
**WayneL:** Yeah. Thanks, K.

**f succeeds, but is not equivalent to 007.**

Fillmore managed to get Penny high/drunk. He locked her inside the pantry, while he scanned her computer for any traces of what happened. Folder after folder, file after file, he ignored all the texts he was receiving, and proceeded to delete the files and empty the recycle bin.

He transferred the video to his phone. Curiosity would kill him, but he needed to see. He had a right to know.

After going over it one more time, he shut the computer down. He found the CD tucked into a book of Penny's, and he broke it, and tossed it in the dumpster outside. And he got Penny out of the pantry.

"Kiss me, fool." she muttered. "Where have you been anyway?"

"Out. Where have you been?" he said, and carried her upstairs.

She giggled. "We're doing it again, aren't we? Oh God, our sex tape will expand. And man, I still haven't posted it yet."

He glared at her. "Not funny. Good night." he said, putting her in the bed, and he locked the door. He went into the bathroom, hopefully until she slept. One hour passed, and movement stopped in the other room. He forgot his phone, so he couldn't reply to any of the messages.

He opened the door, tentatively, and poked his head to the other side.

"Fuck."

**back to the snowy alps we go.**

"Thank you for a wonderful evening." said Agnès-Yves. "But I'm afraid we'll have to go now. My husband has just arrived, and I believe he's expecting myself and Noëlle to be back at our cabin."

"Oh, of course." said Jacqueline. "It was nice seeing you again."

She kissed her on both cheeks. "Up until when do you stay here?"

"Until Monday. We need to be back before New Year's."

She smiled. "Well, why don't you come over to our cabin tomorrow? It is Christmas Eve tomorrow, and I'd hate for my family to spend it alone."

"Of course."

"Lovely. We're at cabin 1205." she said. "See you tomorrow." She gave Adam a kiss on the cheek as well, and called Noëlle.

"Noëlle, _mon petit bijou,_ we have to go now. Papa waits for us." she said, walking over to the nine-year-old, reluctant to let go of Joseph's hand.

"But mama, must we? I don't want to go yet." she said, tugging on Joseph's sleeve.

"Oh but we have to." she said, stroking the girl's hair. "You'll see Joseph tomorrow."

"We will?" said Joseph, smiling.

"Yes, son, I've invited you over for dinner tomorrow." she said.

"Son?" said Noëlle.

"Yes. He's your brother. And so is Jared." she said. "I'll explain to you on the way back."

"Okay. Bye Joseph... bye Jared." she said, poking Jared's chest. Her face told them she was still surprised at the fact that she had two brothers she only knew about today. Half-brothers, to be precise.

"Bye." said the two boys, in unison. Jared was on the couch, listening to his iPod.

Noëlle went out, but Agnès-Yves remained.

"I guess you two deserve an explanation." she said, softly.

"Ma... this can wait till tomorrow." said Joseph. "Your family's waiting."

She sighed, sadly, stroking his cheek. "You've grown up so much. Too fast as well... and I regret not being able to watch you and take care of you as a real mother would."

"It's all right." he said. "I think... you did the right thing."

She smiled at him. "I'm glad you found me." she said, and kissed his forehead. "See you tomorrow."

Jared was up from the couch, hair frazzled. "Leaving so soon?"

"We have to." she said. "Well, we'll see you tomorrow. Good bye, Jared."

"Bye... mom." he said, as he felt her wrap her arms around him. He hugged back, though still slightly lightheaded from finally meeting her.

**meeting emily.**

Ingrid and Karen realy enjoyed Emily's company. They loved her dry wit, her accent, and her overall cheery and positive mood. The three of them gossiped until Wayne got so bored that he logged online and started chatting up some of his friends.

"Seriously, Wayne did that?"

"Yeah." she giggled. "And he got suspended from the force for three days."

The three girls burst out laughing. "Oh man..." said Ingrid. "Never thought I'd hear that about Wayne."

She grinned. "More where that came from. Girls, love life please."

Karen sighed. "Must we?" she said. "Okay, whatever. I need to talk to someone about it. Everything about Joseph is so complicated."

Ingrid rolled her eyes. "God, yes."

"Wait, you two dated the same guy? This Anza guy?"

Ingrid nodded. "Well, he's everything you want in a guy. Rich, handsome, sensitive, sweet, funny, smart... total dreamboy."

"But..." said Emily.

"He can never make up his mind about things. He has so much difficulty in choosing." filled in Karen. "Then there's times when he can't explain himself. And times when he's just completly silent, or all out. It's hard to read him. The only that ever could is his older brother Jared."

"Wow." said Emily.

"We're kind of secretly dating." admitted Karen. "Joseph hates publicity."

"Well if he loves you, why should he care about the publicity?"

"That's just how he is." said Ingrid. "Our relationship was under the spotlight... and I guess it kind of destroyed us. There was even a rumor circulating that I was pregnant with his child, when in fact, we hadn't even... you know, done it yet."

"Just say sex, kay? No holding back." said Emily. Both girls laughed.

"So, how'd you deal with it?" asked Emily.

"I didn't really do anything, actually. We just ignored them, and well, teased them a bit. We said we were having twins." she said. "And the rumors died down. And I must say, rumors spread like wildfire. And sometimes, made even worse. Like that one. One day after, I'm hearing people say I slept with five people."

"Brutal." commented Emily.

"You have no idea." said Karen.

"So how's Fillmore?" asked Emily.

Ingrid nearly spit out her drink. "He's fine." she said, choking.

"Easy there, Ingrid." said Emily.

Ingrid coughed. Where was Fillmore, anyway? But then again, it was kind of a good thing he wasn't there, because she couldn't stop thinking about him. And the only safe way for her to remain friends with him without losing control, was to talk on the phone, text or IM. He had a girlfriend after all


	21. Christmas

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

Hey, thanks for still reading and still reviewing. I've been very busy with school lately, so that explains my absence. I had no idea soph high would be this tough. Hello balancing competing, friends, academics and sports. So yeah.

Enough of that. Came here for the next chapter, you're getting it. (:

_Disney owns Fillmore, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**- THEXOXOPLAYGROUND . NET -  
x marks the gossip spot.**

**hey love. **

Merry almost Christmas! I can't seem to say anything else, because I'm so excited for tonight's party. It may be family-only for me, but that also means family friends too. Which is very awesome, because I've been eying my mom's friend's hot son. Season of miracles, right? Let's wish for a little miracle too. Nudge.

But enough about me. Word has it that a certain five-foot-eleven French model that we're seeing on Chanel and Dior ads in magazines has finally met the two boys she hadn't seen in fourteen years... and well, let's just say I spy a very happy family reunion later tonight in the French alps. Makes me want to wish I were there too.

Seems **F** managed to get what he wanted. And he destroyed it. But word is, **P** is on the loose. And we don't know where. You'd better find her **F**, because we definitely don't want her ending up on the front page tomorrow...

So I've got to go now. There's a pre-party thing I have to get to. This one's open for my friends, so if you're one, you know where to go.

Just because it's the holidays, doesn't mean I'll be completely gone. I'll be watching.

**xoxo.**

**You'll keep coming back to me.**

**unintentional.**

Fillmore never intended for things to get this far. Literally. He was in Greenwich Road, about twenty kilometers from home, rather, Penny's. He'd been up the whole night searching for her when she escaped him, in a state that was best defined unstable. He'd given her a small dose of GHB. He sincerely hoped she was all right, because for one thing, he would have to answer to her family.

At least he managed to get rid of the files. The video was still sitting in his phone's memory card, waiting. He didn't want to open it, but he was also at the same time compelled to. He wanted to know what happened when he was drugged, but at the same time, didn't.

He just hoped he never lost his phone. Ever. He felt for it in his pocket.

At least until he got rid of it.

And so he went into an alley. It was dead cold and snowing quite hard, but it hardly close to a blizzard. No one was out, save some few people who didn't have homes. At least they had fires and warm clothes.

He was ignored for the most part. And he found a door in the brick wall, slightly ajar, and pushed it open.

Party. Well.

Someone handed him a pink drink, but he placed it on a tray that some skimpily dressed girl was holding. It was warm inside, most likely due to the number of people inside. Most were about in the college age. He checked his watch. It was almost midnight. And then it would be Christmas Eve.

He spied a redheaded girl talking to a guy about his age, someone from X.

"Eric Orben?" he said, walking towards them.

"Penny?"

She grinned at him. "Hey Fillmore. Hope you don't mind I ditched you. You locked the doors right?"

"Er, yeah." said Fillmore, partly relieved, partly confused, partly jealous.

Jealous? Oh ho ho.

"And I think we better go, all right, Penny?" he said, grabbing her wrist.

"Why not stay, Fillmore?" said Eric. "Anza says you're not one for stuff like this, but I beg to differ."

"Anza?"

"I'm allowed to be friends with him right?" he said, shrugging. "He's always been my seatmate in algebra, so there, we became pretty close."

"Hmph." said Fillmore. "Let's go, Penny."

"Oh fine." she said. "See you Eric."

"Later." he said.

When they were out of the club, Fillmore hailed a lone cab. The driver was a young man listening to his MP3 player, and removed his earpieces only to hear where they were headed. The music blared out of the earphones. So it was most likely safe to talk to Penny.

"How did you find your way here?" he asked.

"I could ask the same of you." she said.

"Then tell me first what happened. Why you drugged me." he said, his arms crossed.

"You bored me to tears. I needed to do something to get you out."

"How come you didn't just tell me?"

"I don't know." she said, taking a tissue, wiping her cold nose. "I was scared that if I told you that you'd leave."

"I wouldn't for small reasons. You know me." he said.

"No, I don't." she said. "I _knew_ you. I knew you in middle school. Right now I'm trying to figure you out. I'm being careful."

"Do you call drugs careful?" he said, sharply.

She glared at him for a moment, before sighing. "No. I'm sorry."

"And it was wrong for you to take advantage of me like that."

"Yes." she admitted, after a few moments, staring out of the car.

Fillmore relaxed into his seat. "Then if you're sorry, I can forgive you. And put this behind us. But it won't be the same."

This reaction surprised Penny. She chose to ignore the last remark, and placed a cold hand on his knee. "Even after everything? Fillmore... how? I didn't know you could--"

"Forgive?" he said. "I can."

**christmas eve pre-dinner.**

"How many times do I have to tell you, Celine? You look perfect." said Joseph, as he stared at himself and his sister in the large gilt mirror in the living room. His hair was the usual, and he wore khakis, dressy shoes, and a cashmere sweater over his shirt. He looked pretty overdressed in his opinion, but compared to Celine, he really didn't look it.

She wore a white velvet dress with silver trim and Swarovski rhinestones embedded to look like snowflakes. It was a custom order from Versace, since she didn't like the ready-to-wear one she saw in the store. Plus, she was wearing white, high heeled leather boots. Her hair was down and loose. A bit too much, but that was her, and she could actually work it, young as she was.

"I know." he said. "Too much eyeliner." he said, gently wiping the black kohl with a tissue.

"Urgh." she muttered, but allowed him to continue.

"Joseph? Phone for you. Karen." said Jared's voice, from his room.

"Coming." he said. Celine gave him a grin which he deciphered as "nudge, nudge." He stuck his tongue out at her.

He picked up the receiver, moving to a spot where there weren't as many people.

"Hey."

"Joe! How's it going?" he heard her voice say.

"Hey!" he said, immediately brightening up. "God, I miss you already."

"So do I. I'm having dinner out with the ma's side at this fancy Russian restaurant with a name I can hardly write, let alone pronounce."

He laughed. "Good luck with that."

"How's France treated you?"

"It's been pretty good." he said. "Things are just happening so fast. We never expected to end up with dinner with our mom."

"I'm sure you'll handle that well."

The two talked about other topics, light conversation on recent events, skiing, Karen's shopping, her cousins, Joseph's almost-misplaced luggage, and other things for about thirty minutes, when Celine poked him and mouthed that they had to go.

"Karen, I have to go. Don't want to be late."

"All right. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas. I love you."

"I love you too."

**something he'd never expect.**

Truthfully, Vallejo didn't care anymore. Every once in a while, he wished for a brother or sister, older or younger, because his parents were becoming impossible. More and more by the minute. Holidays meant nothing much to him anymore: they never held the same excitement as before. They were going out to dinner at his grandfather's later, but he was expecting another fight between his parents again after dinner about finances and all.

An envelope he found earlier, inserted in between the pages of his favorite book, remained unopened. It wasn't addressed to anyone and I had no details to give out the identity of the sender.

Eventually, his curiosity got the best of him, and he opened it.

It was a handwritten note.

_Heard things aren't going so well for you. Well, me too. I just want you to know that I regret ever leaving. I don't know why I've realized what I've felt only now. Please forgive me. See me outside later. I'll wait under the oak tree._

"When's later?" he asked himself, as he put down the note and peered outside his window to look at the oak tree.

True enough, a figure was there. He didn't bother think of who it was, but he wanted to know who it was anyway. It was his inquisitive nature that mostly got the best of him.

The cold night air sent him chills. It was mostly still, tranquil outside, a light layer of fog floating over the ground, and he approached the tree, trying to lessen the crunching noises his feet made. The moonlight revealed a silhouette of... a girl, her arms wrapped around herself.

He neared, and cold wind blew against a head of black hair.

He instantly knew who it was.

"Malika."

**the third third christmas.**

"This one's going to be the first Third Christmas that I actually _remember_." said Ingrid to Ariella, as they watched their parents attempting to cut the fruitcake. Ariella giggled.

"Hey, at least you'll remember! And anyway, there's a lot more to come, right?"

"I guess." said Ingrid, as their father sported a triumphant grin at cutting the hard cake. Their mother just grinned at him and gave him a playful shove.

Ingrid giggled, and took a sip from her hot chocolate, savoring the taste of the cool minty aftertaste, thanks to the red-and-white candy cane slowly dissolving in the cup.

"What time's Adam coming over?" asked Ariella.

"In ten minutes. Uncle Christian and Aunt Michelle are coming over too, so remember to set a place for all of them." reminded Ingrid. "I can't believe Adam's still obsessing over Karen. I mean, wow. He's a notorious playboy, as you know, but no one's ever stolen him like this."

"Yeah. Too bad that she's in love with someone else."

"Adam's transferring to England next year. Seems like his dad's found greener pastures there." she said. "He got a nice offer to work as a doctor there. Blackpool apparently needed some more doctors."

"Dang." said Ariella. "Thought he was graduating here. Oh well. I'll go ahead. They could arrive any minute, so yeah."

Ingrid nodded, and Ariella stood up, heading for the dining room.

Ingrid's phone vibrated on the table in front of her, and she reached out to grab it. It was a text message. From Fillmore.

_Third. Happy Christmas! Take care of yourself. You know I love you right? Greet Ari and Adam for me too. _

She smiled, and hit reply.

_Merry Christmas, Fillmore! Stay out of trouble for me, all right? Enjoy your feast._

She sent it and placed the phone down. It vibrated almost immediately after she did, and she grabbed it, and flipped it open, surprised at a quick reply. It wasn't from Fillmore, but from an unknown number.

_Just thought I'd wish you a merry Christmas. I know we don't talk and all, Ingrid, but know this: I really like you. I don't know if we'll ever have a chance, but I just want you to know this. Thanks for reading, and enjoy the holidays. From a person you know, one way or another._

Much as she hated to admit it, she was intrigued. The guy, and hopefully not girl, seemed sincere. Maybe it was just a sick joke, but out of politeness, she replied a Thank You, since obviously he or she wouldn't reveal his or her identity.

"Ingrid!" called Ariella's voice. "They're here already."

She slid the phone in her pocket and walked to the foyer to greet her relatives. It was Christmastime. It was time to enjoy herself. And she was determined to do so. She raced to greet Adam with a hug, and accepted a small object he slid in her hand.

Tonight was definitely special.


	22. Dirty Little Secret

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

WOW. Like how long has it been since I updated? I am so sorry. (for the millionth time, :P)

I dunno, I have a lot of ideas for this, but its so frustrating that I can never seem to be able to get it down. Arg. Oh well. Heres the next one, hope you enjoy. (;

_Disney owns Fillmore, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**- THEXOXOPLAYGROUND . NET -  
x marks the gossip spot.**

**hey love. **

As we (or our maids) pack away all the holiday goodies, I'm sitting here typing my account of the past winter break. Quite possibly one of the most dashing and glamorous winter breaks I've ever had. Now, while I've definitely had my fun, there are a few (or more) that had their own fun in their certain ways. Nudge, nudge.

Because I've heard that a **certain couple** did _something, somewhere, sometime,_when they saw each other for New Year's. What a way to start the new year! But it's not like it was their first time either... my dears, it's hard to keep a secret when everyone's watching.

**the couple that goes on-and-off and on-and-off.**

It's relationships like this that always intrigue me. How two people can stay together despite all the beautiful people around them, I cannot comprehend. Sources say that the ever-heroic **F** saved **P**from a club incident that happened almost immediately after they left. Awww.

Speaking of the club incident, you'll never guess who got involved in it! None other than our jetsetting globetrotter genius boy E! I know he had a bad streak back then, but no, it seems little has changed. I wonder what kind of things he was up to while he was away...

Oh and for those who haven't heard? Let's just say a little bar fight went on, yet our beloved **E** comes out unscathed, albeit arrested. Just the man I want: smart, handsome, rich, tough, and _bad. _Too bad though, he's got his eye on a certain green-eyed beauty, but hey, _I_ might be able to change that.

**eye spy.**

**K **trying on some of the clothes her aunt from England sent. I'd kill to have her beaded white Chanel couture dress. I swear, it's the prettiest dress I've ever laid my eyes on during the entire season! I wonder how much it cost.

**I **and her mom fixing up the front porch.

**W** saying goodbye to **E**. So are they over now? Hm I think so. **W** was calling up someone on his cell phone right after she left. Could it be **N**?

**J**,** J**, and **C** (we'll call her that instead of **A **now; it's really getting confusing.) playing a game of volleyball. Younger **J **and **C** win against older **J**, who then tackled both of his siblings into the pool afterwards. How fun!

**V **finally cracking a smile! Speaking of **V**, he's kind of been laying low recently. Wonder why!

**I**'s cousin **A**walking with a blonde beauty. Maybe he's _finally_ over **K**!

After winter break comes the back-to-school. And work, unfortunately. But hey, at least I can show off my new stuff. And later, I'm so doing my shopping spree; gift certificates are great!

See you at school!

**xoxo.**

**You'll keep coming back to me.**

**how come walking together raises issues?**

"Ingrid!"

Ingrid's head turned. Her glittering green eyes looked particularly bright that morning, and Joseph had no idea why. He jogged over to her, gripping his biology book. Her milky white skin looked so soft, and on her wrist... was one of the bracelets he'd given her back when they were still together.

Okay.

She felt him eyeing the bracelet and self-consciously pulled her jacket sleeve down and smiled at him.

"Hey, Joe." she said.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked. Today he didn't feel like taking the car to school. Apparently, neither did Jared nor Celine, so they all just decided to walk to school.

"Of course." she said. "Why not?"

"How are you, Ingrid? I know this is going to sound lame, but it's been toxic and all, fixing up from the holidays, so yeah, I couldn't call you." he said. Up to now, just hearing Ingrid on the phone could calm his nerves like no one else could.

But what about Karen? Tsk, tsk.

"Well, mom's fitting in quite well. And dad's become really happy recently. Must be the magic of the season." she said, smiling. "Adam's over at ours a lot. He says he misses you." she said good-naturedly, giving him a playful shove.

"No shit!" he said, laughing. "Heh, I knew he had the hots for me." Both of them broke down laughing, unable to walk properly for at least a minute. Calming down, Ingrid finally said something.

"You're such an arrogant bastard, you know that?" she said, in between fits of laughter.

"I'm sorry... the way you said it was just so damn funny." he said, after taking several calming breaths. It was still cold, and he regretted not taking the hot coffee from the table that morning.

"Okay, okay, sorry for that one too." she said, brushing off a piece of lint from her black top underneath. "What's been going on with Wayne? I haven't heard from him in a while."

"He's okay. Em left, but he says he's going to Tennessee one weekend to visit. Thank goodness for IM, as he said."

"I'm sure they can do the long-distance thing." said Ingrid absentmindedly. Fillmore suddenly took her mind.

Joseph noticed the sudden change of her tone. "Hey, are you okay? We're already at school, in case you didn't notice."

Ingrid blinked. Yeah, they were. "Oh. Heading to HQ?"

"No, I need to go meet Jared at the field. Something went down, so he says he needs me. You're bringing a lot of things, so I think you should head for HQ first." he advised. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No it's okay. See you." she said.

"You too." said Joseph, briefly squeezing her hand as she left. He watched her for a few moments as she walked towards the doors of the school. He turned away, heading to meet his brother.

As he stepped onto the playing field, he was able to immediately spot Jared, who was sitting beside his perverted bisexual friend Nate. Joseph liked Nate, but not that way. Nate was so random and funny that he raised the bar for "never a dull moment."

"Bro! Over here." said Jared, motioning to an empty spot on the bench.

"Don't tell me-- you're together now?" said Joseph, smacking Jared lightly on the forehead.

"Nope, sorry." said Nate, as he pulled a stick of strangely colored gum from a metal tin. "It's cayenne pepper flavor. Want?"

"No thanks, Nate. I think I've had enough spice for a week." he said, shaking his head at the Indian food his mother pushed at her children to eat the night before. He counted the number of glasses of water he drank but stopped after the eighth glass.

Jared snickered. "He has a low tolerance for spicy food."

"Fucker!" said Joseph, slapping his brother's leg. "_He_ used to have a collection of Cabbage Patch!"

"Joseph used to like those glowing things." said Jared, laughing. "Anyway. I called you here cause apparently, our beloved little half-sister Noelle insisted that she study in the United States."

"Oh my God, no way."

"Fuck, you sound like a blonde." laughed Nate.

"Ignore him, he's still hungover." said Jared, poking Nate's arm. "She says she's sick of having to learn French when she can actually speak better than the teacher can."

"But she's in France. How can a teacher fail to speak French properly?"

"I guess she can't understand him." he shrugged.

"Where are they going to live?" asked Joseph.

"Mmm, probably somewhere near or in Riverview. Also, our ma was kind of invited to join this modeling agency here. It's as if she needs the money, but yeah, she's willing to do anything to make Noelle happy."

"Wow. That kid is spoiled." mumbled Nate.

"Yeah. She's going to some preppy little private school around the block, Collet-Armando Day." said Jared.

"What about the dad?"

"Emile? Oh, he's moving in two months."

"How can she enroll in the middle of the year?" asked Nate.

"You have no idea how powerful some names are." said Jared. "Hey, let's head for HQ. I need to get my computer."

"I've always wanted a freaking Mac. You two are such spoiled bitches." said Nate.

"Enough already." said Joseph, rolling his eyes as they stood up, and started for the main building.

**anonymouse**: Saw J and I walking together this morning. J was staring at her for like five minutes when she went to go to HQ.  
**GossQ**: What do you _do_ in your life? Thanks, sweetie.

**for once.**

For once, Vallejo felt like his life was actually in order. His steadily growing college fund was also being backed up by his boss, and he was starting to be able to actually tolerate all the fucking stupidity going on at his house.

Malika really changed things for him.

Just last night, they were on the phone until their parents threatened to cut the phone line, talking about everything. Two years of them not talking, two years of separation; it felt good to finally be able to talk to someone with similar problems, and it felt good that she was so easy to talk to.

Malika's parents were on the verge of divorcing. Apparently, her father was an abusive alcoholic, and he had had many affairs that her mother found out only a few months ago. It was her mother's dedication to her children that stopped her from filing a divorce.

And he revealed to her everything he wasn't able to tell anyone. And during the break, he admitted that he never had a day when he didn't think of her. Malika said likewise, except that what she couldn't stop thinking about was the day she quit the safety patrol.

_"I can't understand why I ever gave you up for a bunch of greedy bitches."_

Vallejo actually cracked a smile at that. That was one thing he was hardly ever able to do now, save for the normal patrol ribbing and pranks. Those were the best, especially if Joseph Anza was planning them.

He went to the familiar corridor where her locker was. Indeed, she was there, rattling the lock. He watched her struggle with the lock for a few moments with amusement, until she was able to pull the door open.

"Ugh." she groaned. "Dumb lock."

"Malika?" he said.

She looked away from her locker. "Hey!" she greeted, flashing a smile, her brown eyes twinkling. "Looking sharp today, officer."

He grinned. "I'd say the same for you."

"Walk me to class?"

"Come on."

And for once, Vallejo wasn't starting another day looking forward to the company of paper and folders.

**who has to know? w has a dirty little secret.**

_"Two can keep a secret if one of them is dead."_

Wayne rolled his eyes at the book he was reading for English. It was this twisted book about lies, deception, secrecy, and betrayal. He was so intent on buying the book before, but now he wasn't so sure why he even wanted it in the first place, because it was kind of reminding him of what he was going through in real life.

Thing was, he just couldn't let go of the girl that was always in his dreams.

Or semi-pornographic ones.

It wasn't Emily. During the summer, or at least, the end of it, he hooked up with a girl. It was the night before school began, and he was walking alone in the park. His feet idly found their way to where he and Fillmore always hung out before; a secluded bit of the park hidden by trees.

And there, he saw a beautiful brunette, alone, drinking as if there were no tomorrow.

_"Hey." he said, unable to stop himself. He wasn't used to seeing someone other than Fillmore there. _

_"Who're you?" said the girl. Her eyes seemed purple in the moonlight, brimming with tears. A few cascaded down her cheeks. She made an attempt to wipe them away, but Wayne was able to get to them first, wiping them with a handkerchief. She didn't flinch, despite him being a total stranger._

_He observed her profile again. She haid fair, flawless skin, blue (or purple?) eyes, and had long wavy brown hair, as far as he could tell. She gratefully took the handkerchief from him, and he sat by her side._

_"My boyfriend broke up with me for another guy." she said in between sobs. "I can't believe it. And I thought everything was going so well. And he just had to end it today."_

_He placed a hand on hers tentatively. She made no attempts to move away, and so he clasped her hand between his. _

_She sniffled. "Today's my birthday. He just had to." she mumbled, and leaned her head on his chest. _

_They stayed like that for a few moments, until she finally stopped crying. She took several breaths, and looked up at him as he looked down at her. Before either of them knew it, they were both kissing; slowly at first but increasing in passion. Wayne knew where this was going, but he couldn't stop himself. He was feeling deprived himself._

_She was already on his lap, and right at midnight, that was when they both lost their virginity to each other._

_She'd left in a rush, heading for somewhere opposite of where his house was. But she left him her necklace, bearing the letters CAR in lowercase, in elegant silver script._

"Mr. Legitt? Mind if you explain to us this passage?" trilled the voice of the annoyingly perky teacher. It was like she was always drugged or something. Her eyes were open so wide it was scary. But the students were completely used to it.

He sighed, and stood up to explain.

**you plus me minus clothes divided by legs equals love.**

Ingrid stared at the hastily scribbled note that read such a message. It freaked her out that someone would have the audacity to send her that, but what she wanted to know was who sent it. She'd found the note in her locker, but she refused to tell anyone about it.

She'd never seen that handwriting before, so it was impossible to tell.

Nothing's impossible, my dear! Have a little faith.

She folded it and placed it back in her jacket pocket. She didn't feel like she was being watched.

Maybe someone just sent it by mistake. Yeah, that was probably it. Unlikely any of her friends was playing a prank on her... they never sent notes this... dirty.

A familiar brown-haired boy approached her.

"Hey Ingrid." said Eric, his eyes seeming to glitter in the dim corridor. What was with boys these days and their glittering eyes? First was Joseph, then she saw Jared, and heck, even Danny's eyes were gorgeous to her. She shook her head. She must've had too much to drink in the holidays.

Either that, or she has an unfulfilled craving for guys. But who might that be?

"Eric, hey." she said, smiling up at him. God, why was everyone so tall? "You know who wrote this?" she said, as she pulled out the note and handed it to him. He shook his head, handing it back.

"Nope." he said. "Seems to me you've got yourself an admirer, Ingrid. But I guess it's no surprise." He smiled at her, glimpsing at a perfect set of teeth.

"No." she said, self-consciously, or shyly, if it was a better term. She'd seen that look before. With Joseph. But she wasn't able to decipher what it meant. "I'm sure you have a few yourself."

He smiled at her. God. Why, of all times, did he look so... _delicious_? Ingrid mentally slapped herself for even thinking that.

Yep, deprivation.

"You want me to walk you to class?" said Eric, looking poised to take her books.

"Um, sure, yeah. I've got Geometry next."

"I've got chem next. Here, let me take that." he said, before she could protest.

Now there's a gentleman. Take that, bad boy past.


	23. Screw Secrecy

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

Here you go, the next chapter! I'm glad to know people still read this. Just FYI, this thing ends once the school year ends.

Thanks for still reading, and to the reviewers, for reviewing. LOL. This chapter's mostly going to be about Wayne, and a secret he's withheld.

_Disney owns Fillmore, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**- THEXOXOPLAYGROUND . NET -  
x marks the gossip spot.**

**hey love. **

For us freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, February is an almost magical time. For one, it's our so-called love month, or lust month of a few of us. Cough, cough. Another is because this is the time when most of us relax even more after the Christmas break. And finally, because we enjoy the Valentine's Day Dance more than our favorite senior schoolmates, all taking their SAT preps and worrying about which colleges they would get into.

Not that that ever stopped some of them! It's the time to party hard, and just for the information of those who don't already know, here are the parties coming up this month. And more to come. So if you've got a party you want to advertise, just tell me! Make sure you have everything we need, or you can kiss your hosting days goodbye.

**DROP IT!  
**Shake your moneymaker to never-before-heard music remixes of your favorite songs! Free drinks till midnight.

**STOPTIONAL!  
**Party all night in the wildest party of all parties. No holding back-- go all out with no limits until 2 AM at least!

**KICKBACK**.  
Take a lounge with free flowing drinks till the last one leaves. Kick back, relax. Or not.

**DR. FEELGOOD.**  
Sick of life? Sick of school and work? Visit Dr. Feelgood for all the remedies to your pain. We'll be waiting.

**FOSHORE!  
**Beach parties in February? Why not? Ocean, sand, drinks, and your closest friend--or special someone-- one wild night, foshore!

Whew! Sounds like a busy month. Wonder which ones I'll be attending. I challenge you to go to all. And if you do go, take note of all the interesting events in the party. And watch out for yourself. Who knows, you might end up on the next update!

**eye spy.**

**K **and **C** custom-ordering their dresses for the next month from various designers. Ladies don't buy ready-to-wear, as the older Lady Tehama used to say. Oh, what would we give for money like that.

Several X High students at a local downtown booze supplier. Hmm, wonder why. Lucky boys didn't get themselves carded!

Brothers **J **and **J**, with **W** and** F,** enjoying a drink at the Castrian Hotel Lounge. Also not carded. Flirting with the female bartender can do wonders, now can it, **W**?

**E** and **I **spending a little too much time together at **E**'s house. I wonder what those two have been doing.

**F** and **P** racing each other on their bikes at the park. Is that what they call a date? Interesting.

Where has **A**, **K**'s sister, been hiding out? I haven't been able to keep tabs on her lately...

Well, so here we go. It's a beautiful Saturday morning, so go out with your friends (or special someone) and kick off the weekend to a great start. While you're busy with that, I'm off to find my Valentine's Day Dance dress. One thing's for sure: it'll be glamorous.

**xoxo.**

**You'll keep coming back to me.**

**why now?**

Wayne and Joseph decided to spend the day at the beach. They hadn't talked in a while, since they were both busy with their personal and academic lives. The day before, Wayne asked Joseph out just so they could talk. It sounded completely gay to have a one-on-one talk with your guy friend, but he'd sensed that they both needed it.

"So come back already." said Joseph. "We need you there, Wayne. It's never too late."

They'd been talking about the Safety Patrol. People there. Work they were doing. Cases they worked on, and eventually it led to the topic of Wayne returning. And again, Joseph noted, Wayne was still indecisive. He knew there was a story behind him not wanting to be in the force. Not just the episode with his father and his murderous lover. There was something else. He just had to press it out of him.

Wayne sighed, and bit his lip. He knew what Joseph was thinking. He was trying to get an answer from him. Wayne did want to tell him, but he didn't know if now was the right time. Or if he was the right person to tell it to.

"I don't know." he said. "I don't know if I still have the abilities. I'm not even feeling myself anymore."

"Why?"

"Things... happened." he said, his eyes closed. He openeed them again, staring off at the ocean. He wasn't comfortable talking about his feelings. "And those things... I don't want to talk about."

"I respect that." said Joseph. "But until you learn to trust me, I don't think I can be of any help to you." He took a sip of Colt 45, concealed in a brown paper bag. You had to be careful.

"Shit." said Wayne, as he turned his back. But it was too late. A girl, with auburn hair and purplish-blue eyes, spotted Wayne, and she walked over to him. She was wearing a purple bikini top and white boardshorts with flip-flops.

Why hide from a hottie, Wayne?

"Hey." said the girl. Wayne turned around. Oh God. Why now?

"Remember me?" she said, shyly, tucking her long hair behind her ears. Clearly, it had been too dark the last time for him to actually be able to see what she looked like. But then again, the profile was the same. It was her.

"Yeah." he said, smiling up at her. He felt Joseph's eyes on him, burning with curiosity.

"Oh right, I'm sorry." she said, turning her attention to Joseph. "Constance Alessandra Reinholde." she said, holding out her hand.

"Joseph Aspen Anza. Pleased to meet you, Constance." he said, taking her hand. Ever the gentleman. "Sorry, my buddy Wayne's just tired."

She nodded her head in understanding. "All right. I hope I didn't disturb you two or something. Nice meeting you again Wayne. And you too Joseph. I'll see you around." she added, smiling, as she went back to her friends.

When she left, Joseph glared at him.

"What the hell, Wayne? Who was that?"

_No way out of it now. Spill, Wayne, spill._ Joseph's eyes practically taunted.

"Fine." Wayne said. "I'll tell you everything. But do not tell anyone."

Hasn't he learned yet that all secrets are bound to be revealed? Guess not.

"I won't." said Joseph. Finally.

"What do you want to know?"

"Start from why you really transferred here." said Joseph. "I don't buy your first reason."

Wayne nodded. "It's true though, that I moved mostly because of my mom. But, there's another story there. And it's the one... which doubles as the reason why I don't want to join the force yet. I... ugh. Joseph... whatever I tell you, could you not... you know, judge me for it?"

"Of course not, Wayne." he said. "Why would I?"

"Well." Wayne said, his hazel eyes glinting in the sun. "I was kicked out of Malcolm."

**EOrben**: Ingrid!  
**Ingrid3x**: Hey there.  
**EOrben**: You want to hang out?  
**Ingrid3x**: Sure. Where to?  
**EOrben**: Surprise. Wait for my Vespa.

**EOrben** has signed out.

**let's go away together.**

Ingrid didn't know what to dress in. She didn't know where they were going, so she decided casual would be the safest bet. She'd bring a sweater just in case.

She chose a pair of khaki capri pants and a black tank top. She topped it with a forest green wool sweater which she remembered Joseph giving her. It was weird wearing something an ex-boyfriend gave to a date with someone else, but how would he know, anyway?

Ahem. Gossip site, anyone?

She was also wearing the silver Tiffany bracelet Joseph had given her. She just couldn't bear to leave it behind. It had been her good luck charm for the past months, so to speak.

She walked over to her window and spotted Eric at the corner of the street, where he always waited for her. He wore his usual black leather jacket and jeans. She gave herself the once-over before smearing a little lip gloss and going out of the house.

Eric smiled at her. "Nice to see you."

"You too." she said, tugging at her jacket sleeve. She seated herself.

He took a bandana from his pocket. "I told you, surprise. And no peeking." he added, as he tied the orange cloth around her head and put on a helmet. He kissed her forehead. "I promise you, you'll like this."

They sped through streets, as Ingrid held on to Eric. She trusted Eric, but why was he so secretive?

Hasn't he always been? Girl, you need to do more background checks on your boys.

It seemed like an eternity until Eric spoke. "Here we are." he said. She felt him get off. He took off the helmet, and the bandana.

Ingrid blinked for a few moments, and she smiled, and she threw her arms around him, kissing Eric full on the lips.

He'd joked a lot about bringing her to his family yacht and go sailing, just the two of them. Secretly, she'd really wished to go on one, but she figured she'd never actually have the money to go on some sailing trip. It had been all she wanted.

"Dream come true, Eric." she said. "Thank you."

He grinned at her. "Anything for you." he said. "Don't think about packing. We can buy whatever you need."

Sails away!

**back to the beach we go.**

Joseph was unable to say anything. Did he just hear it right? Wayne was kicked out of school? But what the fuck did he do? What did Malcolm do to him that changed him this badly? Who was that girl? What was Emily to him? Questions ran through his head, but only one question came out from his mouth.

"What the fuck?!"

Wayne nodded. He anticipated this reaction.

"What did you do, Wayne?" said Joseph. His voice wasn't hostile, nor angry, but rather more on curious and sympathetic.

Wayne's face remained straight and sober. "I was the reason why someone died on the school campus. I made one mistake. One big mistake."

Joseph wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Fuck. What happened?"

"I chose the wrong words. And... she... killed herself. It was a case. "She" happened to be my girlfriend, who had an ex who was sending her threats, and actually hurt her many times, by planting things in her locker, adding things to her food... you name it, he's done it." he said. "It was eighth fucking grade. I can't believe it.

She did not have a nice record. I fixed a case for her and things happened. But apparently, she had this stalkerish ex-boyfriend who was a junior in Malcolm High. He had a two black marks on his record, and did a few months in juvi."

"But why did you get kicked out?"

Wayne crushed a can in his hand. "The bastard made me steal something to save her. But she killed herself anyway." he said, lowering his eyes. "He 's in juvi again, but I got kicked out for stealing out of the school safe. They understood why I had to do it, but they had to do it. It was in the rules."

"So you never completed eighth?"

"I did. Some other school there in Tennessee." he said. "And I moved here. I never, ever want to return there again."

Joseph was silent, only listening to the waves crashing against the shore, as he processed everything he'd learned today. So that was why. But Wayne was strong. Anyone else exposed to this kind of pain and trauma would have been inclined to go to therapy already. But not Wayne. He was doing fine, albeit unpredictable. Joseph sighed, shaking his head.

"I can't believe this." he said. "I can't believe how you're able to go through all this without telling anyone."

"I just can, Joe." he said. "That's just the way it is."

"And, Constance. What happened with her?"

"I hooked up with her at the start of the year." said Wayne. "I think we went a little too far. But well, I can't believe I'm telling you this, but well... we did it. It it."

Joseph stared at his friend. "Really. Wayne... that's just... whoa."

"Not that you haven't."

Joseph laughed. "True, true."

Oh boys. Ever worse than us girls when we talk. Don't we just love them?

Hmm, here ends another chapter! Tell me what you think, or if you have any suggestions. Thanks for reading and hopefully, reviewing. :D


	24. Foshore!

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

Hello everyone! Yay, finally time to post this.

As always thank you for still reading! :D All the reviews I've been getting, no matter how few, still manage to brighten up my day, so thank you especially to the reviewers.

_Disney owns Fillmore, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**- THEXOXOPLAYGROUND . NET -  
x marks the gossip spot.**

**hey love. **

What _is_ with the the beach at this time of year? Apparently, it's _the_ place to be, regardless of the gloomy late February weather. I myself enjoy the simple joys of watching the waves crash against the shore, the boys playing frisbee in all their tan and six-pack abs glory, the adorable little children playing in the water, and the sun setting on the horizon.

Yes, it's quite far from our beloved X High, but nonetheless the place where most of _us_ are seen.

And where a _lot_ of events are seen.

For example, the intense volleyball game and the rock climbing race just some time ago. But while that was going on, some people reportedly saw some things that have been going on there for these past few weeks...

**eye spy.**

Two of our favorite boys drinking something from a paper bag at the beach. Beer date, you two? And who _was_ that pretty girl that approached them? Hm, seems like we need to watch out for her. _Vroom, vroom_, I guess. Nudge.

Older **J** and still-strong girlfriend **A** seen talking sitting on the rocks, waves crashing against their feet. What a romantic spot.

A strangely familiar yacht sailing on the horizon caught my attention. Wonder who was in it... and what they _did_ in it.

Well, well. Tonight's the big _Foshore!_ party. I'm definitely going, so make sure you wear your best swimsuits! Don't be shy to show your stuff! And please please please, do wear _something_. As they say, clothed is sexier than naked. And as always, watch out for anything interesting!

It's a busy life, and unfortunately, don't expect an update until tomorrow, which is after the Valentine's Day Dance. Make sure you have a date! Especially you seniors. Time to put those years of antisocialism away for a night out! Semper ubi sub ubi!

**xoxo.**

**You'll keep coming back to me.**

**when officers commit offenses, another one gets inducted.**

"Do you have a date?"

Joseph Anza rolled his eyes at Robert Turnstall, one of the soccer people. They weren't very close, and asking the question while he was sitting in class from behind him created an awkward situation. To put it simply, a sort of gay situation.

"Yeah, I do. I'm taking Karen Tehama."

"You close?"

"We're just friends. Just looking for a nice time at the dance, y'know? No frills and all." he said, as he fiddled with the ballpen in his hand.

"Ah." said Robert. He heard keys being pressed, and he reckoned it was one of his cheerleader girlfriends he probably couldn't even keep track of. "See ya at Foshore."

"Yeah." said Joseph, as he pulled out his own phone. Several messages were there, including the update of Gossip Queen. Her posts seemed to be getting shorter and shorter. She was probably stressing out now like a normal student. Though she did have a subtle way of hinting at it. She was busy.

He saw Wayne's name.

_OMG dude. C gave me her number last night. Feel like this thing's actually gonna work out._

He typed a reply.

_Great. Going to Fsho later?_

He scrolled through the other messages while waiting for a reply.

_Yepyep. Bringing her to Fsho later. Date for tomorrow?_

_I'm bringing K. Though I'm saying we're going as friends._

_Like anyone'll believe that, J. Everyone knows you've been crazy for her since ever._

_..._

_Seriously. Why aren't you going public about it?_

Joseph rolled his eyes.

_Because__ of what happened with Ingrid. A lot of pressure was on our part with everyone watching our every move, people harrassing her about us fucking or something. I don't want that. Especially since the rumors with Ingrid went as far as to say she was a slut. And that we were going to be parents! Fucking shit!_

He checked the time. It was 9 already; where was the professor?

_Point taken. Hey, don't you have lit or something already? Bad example, officer._

Joseph had to laugh at that one. Finally, after months of being so morose, Wayne was starting to be the Wayne he knew from before again. Constance was the miracle he'd been waiting for for Wayne. In fact, he was thinking about being an officer again. He was learning to forget the past.

Wayne hadn't told him any more than what he'd said to him on the beach, but seeing his friend happy was more important than knowing the details about the past things he'd done.

_LOL. Not here yet. I have no idea where he is. I'll go check. People in the room are getting bored and drawing on the board._

He told Robert he'd go out to look for the professor. He headed for the faculty office and knocked. He pulled open the door, and asked the nearest teacher where Professor Fuller was.

"Hm, he's out talking to Principal Folsom about some case with an officer saying extremely vulgar things about him over the Internet. See them if you want to." she said.

"No, it's fine."

An officer committing a level 4 offense? No doubt that would call for immediate suspension of any position he would hold for the current and next years.

He mulled over it until he reached class. Maybe Wayne was simply _called_ to be an officer.

**the man that never said.**

"Be home by 10 PM, remember, it's a school night and you have an algebra exam tomorrow." said Jared, who was bailing on the party. He was planning on spending the night at home, resting. Whatever he said.

"Yes brother." he said, smacking him on the forehead.

"Ow. That hurt dude." he said, poking his back.

"Have fun _resting._" teased Joseph, enunciating resting.

"Whatever you're implying, it's not what you think."

"I said nothing." said Joseph, walking out of the door.

The night was looming, and Jared walked over the the white grand piano that was gifted to the family twelve Christmases ago. The ivory keys were still the same off-white as it was when he'd first touched it, back when he was still five years old.

He pressed on the keys, letting his hands play on them, as sounds intertwined to play a song he'd composed which he'd simply titled Angeline. It was corny and sweet at the same time, but he liked how it sounded, that it was a piece that managed to express what he felt towards her. Love, frustration, longing. And what he saw in her. Beauty, grace, simplicity, elegance.

He wasn't good in writing, and probably never would be, but at the very least, music was there. One of the gifts he'd never actually shared to anyone.

**sailing away, way, way.**

They'd sailed for four days, skipping one day of school. No one would miss them, anyway. The only people they told were their parents and two or three close friends. They'd gone to St. Barts, where Ingrid met her favorite chemist/physicist Yvana Tsuchovina, who was on vacation with her family.

They'd docked just an hour ago, and all she could do was thank Eric for the most amazing four days of her life. Four days of nothing but herself and Eric, without caring for anything else but each other. She didn't tan, due to her part albinism, but Eric did, and it brought out gold streaks in his normally brown hair.

She decided to write him a letter while he was asleep, just before they docked. Hopefully, he would see it and read it.

She was heading for the party at the beach, while he had to go to New York for his grandmother's birthday. He would be back the day after tomorrow.

She thought back as she was writing.

_Eric,_

_I've had one of the best, or the best, four days of my life here with you. It was everything I wanted. Nothing anyone could give could possibly compare to everything you've done, and I have no idea how I could ever thank you enough. _

_I don't know why you're doing this for me, but all I can say is that I've never felt luckier than any girl in the world. Eric, whatever this is, whatever is happening between us, I really hope it's forever. It's not the material things for me, but how much you actually mean to me. I write this with a wobbly hand and dim light, but I made sure you can read this. _

_Thank you so much for everything. Forever or not, you'll always have a place in my life. I think I'm in love with you. I really think I do, and all I'm hoping is that you are too._

_-I._

She watched the boat move further into the horizon as the sun set. It felt so soap opera-ish, for some reason, watching the boat move away. When it finally disappeared, she hailed a cab going to the party.

She missed everyone. Now was the right time to go update them and be updated herself.

**back from the dead.**

Rihanna's Disturbia was blaring out of the speakers as people were dancing on the sandy floor beside the beach bar. People were drinking, chasing each other around, and playing several games like "Shit!", Twister, and "I Never." No spin the bottle, as it wasn't exactly easy to spin a bottle on sand.

Ingrid went in and searched the area for her friends. She spotted Wayne with a pretty redhead or brunette, and waved over to him, as he did as well. He pointed over to the left, maybe indicating where the others were.

She walked to where he pointed at, and by the bonfire, Joseph was telling a crowd of people some ghost stories. She could tell, since people were giggling and letting out the occasional scream.

"And right now we have another lady who's come back from the dead!" he announced, catching her eye. "Sit down, Ingrid!" he said, grinning at her.

"Hey guys." she said to no one in particular, but claimed the seat next to Karen and Fillmore.

"Where have you been?" whispered Karen.

"Later." said Ingrid, smiling at her.

Joseph was telling some story about a girl who was driving alone and ends up at a creepy old mansion where this vampire falls in love with her. He made it sound comedic and scary at the same time.

"The vampire was no Edward Cullen. He was an aggressive one, saying stuff like "I have no strength to stay away from you. All I want is you to be like me." And he was holding her too close for..."

**first for everything?**

"So where'd you two go?" said Joseph, as he left Karen with Wayne and Les, what Constance preferred to be called. Her name was a mouthful, in her own words.

"To St. Barts, and New York. He took me to meet this scientist and took me shopping in NYC." Ingrid said, smiling at the memory. "Just... wow."

"That's great, Ingrid!" he said, hugging her briefly. "Wow." he said, pulling away. "I can't believe he actually did that. I mean, it's like you guys were married or something."

She giggled. "Funny. You're jealous."

"True. I want a boyfriend that would take me on a trip to New York." he said.

"Boyfriend? You're gay now?"

"No, I'm just saying." he said, laughing. "I miss New York."

"You lived there until fifth grade?"

"Yeah. It was great. Every day I'd race Jared to school either on foot, by biking, or by skateboarding. I'd learned quite a lot of tricks there." he said, tossing a rock.

"That's pretty cool. Explains why you're one heck of a speedster." she said. "I honestly thought Fillmore couldn't be outsped, but you managed to do that in seventh! I'd never seen you chase before, so yeah."

"Well, there's a first for everything." he said.

"True."

**valentino, ysl, ferragamo and chanel...**

Ingrid decided to go over to Karen's house to go help her out with her dress for the dance. Tomorrow was a Wednesday, and it was a free school day, meaning no classes. Anyone who wanted to go to school for training or whatever could go though.

She left her coat in the Tehama's vast coat rack, and went upstairs to Karen's room. She claimed it was the smallest one in the house, yet it was still large compared to her own room. It contained a MacBook Air, a Mac desktop computer, a 32-inch flat screen LCD, a large bed, a stereo system, a writing desk, and in another smaller room was Karen's closet, which could have easily defeated the local magazine's own closet for shoots.

Karen had already laid out at least four designer bags and two dresses on her white bedspread. The room was almost all white, with hints of lavender, purple, and pink. On the walls were pictures, and a painting of her when she was still six.

The first dress was red and had a black belt in the middle, which was probably knee-length on Karen, and made out of silk and satin. The other was in a burgundy shade, with lace on the bodice. The first bag was a white patent leather clutch, the second a black snakeskin purse lined with faux fur, the third a black leather clutch, and the fourth a white satin purse. Ingrid peeked at the brand names. Dolce and Gabbana. Prada. Miu Miu. Gucci.

The dresses were both Stella McCartney.

"So which do you think looks nicer?" she said. "I was thinking this one," she pointed to the burgundy dress. "and that snakeskin one."

"Looks good. The leather one looks nice too." said Ingrid. "Though the snakeskin looks better."

"Hm, yeah." said Karen. "Guess that's settled."

Ingrid froze suddenly. Shoot. The dance was tomorrow. She'd only gotten that in her head now. She'd forgotten to buy a dress! And the dresses at home were not appropriate for a dance.

"Are you okay?"

"I forgot to buy a dress. Darn it." said Ingrid.

"Get one from my closet!" offered Karen. "And well, keep it. Take any."

"Sure." said Karen. "While you're at it, could you grab my bronze-ish sandals? The ones I wore to the gala last September, it's... Jimmy Choo I think."

"Nope, Manolos." said Ingrid, as she walked in the expansive closet. All the designers were giving her a headache. Karen must've had hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of clothes in the closet alone.

Everything was arranged by color and by brand, alphabetically. How they managed to sort it out, she didn't know, but it was done. Bags lined shelves and shoes were stored neatly in cubbyholes with glass covers.

She took Karen's shoes first, and she went over to the black dresses, sifting through the racks.

Ingrid picked out a black off-shoulder dress, made of satin. It was simple, yet nice.

She walked out of the closet with the dress and shoes, and saw Karen reading a book, her dresses and bags on the bay window seat.

"Hey, here."

"Cool." Karen said, looking up from her book. "Nice choice. Valentino."

"Are you seriously letting me keep this?"

"Yeah. I bet it'll look great on you."

Hmm, nothing much happened, but next one's about the dance, Valentine's Day!


	25. Today's the Day

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

Happy New Year to everyone! Hope you had an awesome holiday. :D

_Disney owns Fillmore, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**- THEXOXOPLAYGROUND . NET -  
x marks the gossip spot.**

**hey love. **

First off, Happy Valentine's Day! Start expecting lots of little sweet things to start appearing for you-- you'll never know who they'll come from. And if you can't appreciate those little things, why not during V-Day? Only day in the year you can be sappier than the latest chick flick without getting heat for it.

Oh, and boys! Trust me, we girls are very appreciative this day. So if you're making a move on any of us, go. Really; even the smallest gestures will mean a lot today.

Need another gift suggestion? Flowers. Single stem roses, a whole bouquet-- it's up to you. We may show we don't like receiving them, but really, we do. There's something different about getting flowers. Must be the old saying "Stop and smell the flowers," coming to fruition. In any case, have fun today! Not too much, though, because you've still got tonight's dance to attend. You don't want to arrive drunk, do you?

**alone at a white canvas.**

A musical canvas of a white piano that is. Spotted sitting at the said piano was older J, playing a piece he either memorized or composed. Amazingly, I didn't know he could play the piano. But it seems he's quite good at it-- flawless movement and familiarity with the keys, as if he'd been playing for his whole life. Well, if he's playing for someone, we all know who it is. Lucky girl.

Seriously, is there anything he can't do?

**eye spy.**

Younger **J **alone in the mall, seemingly frustrated. I wonder who he's looking for a gift for. And his date for tonight. Heck,_ I _don't even know. How he's managed to stay single since his breakup with **I**, I have no idea. Too irresistible!

**F** buying something from the drugstore. I wonder what and, more importantly,_ what for_.

**I** and **K** having coffee at Starbucks.

Not too many sightings, since I _am _busy and all, but everyone, prepare well for tonight! Who knows what romance will blossom tonight! And as always, I will be there to report anything that's _anything _that happens.

**xoxo.**

**You'll keep coming back to me.**

**the best things in life are free.**

Joseph Anza had been wandering in the mall for at least two hours, failing to buy a gift for Karen. The problem with having her as a girlfriend was that she had practivally everything she could ever want or need. He needed to get her something she wouldn't buy herself, or something that money couldn't buy.

But what?

He sipped on his soda, though not really tasting the liquid. It frustrated him that he couldn't think of anything very original. He'd been window shopping, peering into the stores Karen usually went to. Why girls needed so many shoes and handbags, he didn't know, but it made shopping for gifts for them a whole lot easier than getting guys something. Which was funny, because it was kind of hard to shop for himself too.

He drained his drink, and tossed the paper cup into the trash can. Just then, he spotted a jewelry store up on the second floor.

Tiffany's! Of course. Why didn't he think of that? He was quite known by some of the more elderly staff there, since he'd always gotten his Mother's Day gifts from there every year since he was nine. Meredith, in particular, was very fond of him. She'd then thought he was a lost child, but when he'd come inside asking for help for a Mother's Day present, she'd dropped all her current work to help him out.

Of course, the things there cost quite a pretty penny, but this was what he'd saved up for anyway.

Make that a long time ago.

He entered the familiar shop, and Meredith rose to greet him. Her tiny figure seemed even smaller now that he'd grown-- probably five inches since he'd last seen her.

"Why, it isn't Mother's Day yet!" she remarked.

He laughed. "Yeah, I know. Well, this time, it's for my girlfriend."

He looked over the charms and necklaces they had on display. He eventually narrowed his choices down to a silver heart, encrusted with several amethysts, sapphires and diamonds, and a gold candy charm made out of several precious colored stones.

"For Valentine's, or for her birthday?"

"Valentine's. Do you think you could get an engraving done by tonight?" he asked.

"I don't know. There's quite a list for engraving today." she said, tapping her chin.

His eyes widened. "Please? By tonight? I really need it."

She sighed. "Okay, I'll see if I can pull some strings."

"Great. Thank you so much!"

He ended up picking the heart. It seemed more appropriate for the occasion. He forked over three hundred-dollar bills, and added twenty dollars to it.

"What's the twenty for?" asked Meredith.

"Yours. Just a little thank-you." he said, smiling.

"Oh, thank you!" she exclaimed. "I'll see to it that yours is the next one engraved. Pick it up at about four or five in the afternoon."

"That would be great. Thank you!" he said, as he wrote KAREN on a piece of paper in large, print, letters, and handed it to Meredith.

"Have a nice day!" she said, as he left.

Joseph decided to just walk home. It was just half an hour away, anyway. He turned his iPod touch on, and wondered how he was going to give the gift to Karen. He didn't want to just give it. He wanted a special set-up for her. Not a candlelit dinner; it was too cliched, and they were going to the dance anyway. Or maybe...

A treasure hunt? Hm, why not? He grinned, and decided to jog the rest of the way home. He had four hours to do this!

**depressed is apparently in now. or not.**

He knew that her parents still didn't trust him with her. He knew they were protective, but the only way Angeline would live a normal life would be if she were exposed to the right things. And besides, she had a good grasp of practical knowledge, common sense which most girls her age didn't have.

He sighed. Yeah, he was slightly bitter. They hardly went out on dates unsupervised, and all he could do was kiss her. They'd only done it once, but it was definitely something he would never forget. He sighed. He didn't know how long it would take to prove himself, but he hoped it was soon.

Everything was so limited. They were already grown up, for God's sake. He wasn't going to hurt her. Ever.

Was he going to the dance tonight? He wondered if he should. He'd been shutting himself out of so many things because he'd been really tired, and not having seen Angeline in at least a week was too much for him. He didn't feel like having fun. He wasn't even sure if she was going. They'd grounded her after their little rendezvous at the rocks at the beach the other week.

Several excited knocks sounded on his door, and it opened, Joseph coming in as if he'd won a marathon or something.

"Hey, hey, bro!" he greeted cheerfully.

"Hey." he greeted back, forcing a smile. Joseph stopped, looking hard at him.

"Let me guess. You're not feeling well again." he said, sitting down on the bed with him.

"Yeah... kind of." It's nothing, Joe. he thought.

"You've been depressed at the piano for a week, bro, that's not nothing." he said, practically reading his mind. "Go to the dance tonight, please? I can't stand seeing you like this anymore. It's not you. It's the second time this year you've been through a depression period."

He sighed. "I miss her, okay? That's it. I mean, I can't even talk to her. Her parents are so strict with her." he said. "You have it easier. Karen's allowed to everything."

"Bro, just a little longer. You're nearly done with high school. And so is she. And she'll be let go soon. She can't be that way forever." said Joseph. "Just wait, and everything'll be okay."

Jared cracked a smile, a real one this time. "Thanks, bro."

"So you'll come?"

"Yeah." he said.

"Good. You look like hell, so go head for the razor, man." he grinned.

"Still a sharp tongue, I see. See you later." said Jared, grinning back, as he headed for the bathroom.

"You know I love you, bro!"

**v just hates v-day. even if it's with someone he loves.**

Vallejo was on the phone, at the same time cooking himself some breakfast. It was amazing how he could coordinate two difficult activities at the same time. It paid off to have been a junior commissioner and an adviser for two years.

"So are you going to the dance tonight?" asked Malika.

"Nah." he said. "It's not really me, you know?"

"Good then. I've got plans for us."

"Really now." he said. "I thought you hated Valentine's Day as much as I did."

"Not really. I don't like the mushy bits." she said. "But I like the fourteenth. It's my lucky number, remember?"

"How could I forget?" he said. She was born October 14, at 14:14 PM, at the hospital located on 14th Avenue, with her mother staying in room 414. And it was the number on her safety patrol badge at the back.

"So there. I hate how people go all out on gifts on this particular day." she said. "I mean, it's stupid. Christmas is fine, birthdays are good, but seriously, it's a bad time for extravagances..." she trailed on, as Vallejo proceeded to flip over an egg.

"Dutch, get off the phone now. I need to speak to our lawyer."

"Hey, listen, Malika, I've gotta get off now. Ma says she needs to talk to the lawyer."

"Oh. Okay. Be at my place later okay? Bye! Love you. See you later."

"You too." he said.

"Son?" said his mother, in a tone partly impatient, partly curious.

"I'm done." he said, as he handed the phone over.

"I'm sorry, son. But we're nearly done. Soon, everything'll be all right."

He nodded. But fuck, how can things be all right when your parents get divorced? It's complicated. He understood his mother needing to divorce his father-- the expense was skyrocketing, but he had to feel sorry for his father too; she was leaving him at a time when he most needed help. Luckily for him, he was being sent to a rehabilitation facility out in Odessa, Texas, a well-reputed one at that.

Then again, there had been too many problems between them. They'd married early, a result of a teenage pregnancy.

That was why it was hard for him to fall in love-- he didn't want to end up the same way as they did.

The real reason he hated Valentine's Day.

Today was his fucking birthday.

**dancing the night away.**

Ingrid wasn't quite sure what to expect from Eric tonight. Eric said he would go ahead to the dance and wait for her there. It was the first time Eric didn't pick her up on a date. This wasn't exactly a date, but it registered in her mind that it was.

Going back, she was thinking he had something planned for tonight. What it was, she didn't know.

She never liked surprises, and had tried on more than one occasion to sqeeze details from Eric. As it turned out, he was too smart to let her know. But the surprises were always worth the wait, and very sweet of him. One weekend after a cramming session at the library, he'd surprised her with the mint chip ice cream she'd been craving the whole week.

She'd written on her blog, though filtered for certain friends only:

_I'd never expected to actually fall in love with Eric. I was thinking, "Hey, maybe this would just be one of those romances that don't last." Honestly, I don't think I'm lucky in love, but boy, he sure proved me wrong. I don't know how long we'll last, but I hope it'll be anything near to forever._

She wore the dress she borrowed from Karen. With one last look at the mirror, she turned and walked out of her room, as Ariella honked the horn on the car, signaling it was time to go to the dance.

The ride to X was uneventful, though Ingrid had a slight feeling of nostalgia as she passed by X Middle School. The eighth grade dance, where she and Fillmore went together, as friends.

How things had changed, she mused.

She and Ariella went down and entered a rather lavishly decorated gymnasium. She bid goodbye to Ariella and told her to call her when they had to leave. And off she went to find friends, and Eric.

The design committee, rather, club, in XHS's case, had outdone themselves on the decorations. Streaks off red, white, and pink crepe paper hung from the ceiling, and red and pink hearts danced around the room through moving colored lights. The room was carpeted in red, and a large dance floor in the gym was full of couples and friends dancing together to a steady beat of the latest hits in music.

She spotted Karen with Celine and Tatiana, a Russian exchange student who used to be on the national team for rhythmic gymnastics. She saw Joseph, Penny, Fillmore, and Danny at the punch bowl, daring each other to gulp down the sweet, slightly alcoholized liquid the fastest. Her cousin Adam, was with a redhead senior Frances Louberth, who was on the cheerleading squad. Recently, Adam decided to go try out for track, and it turned out he was one of the best in the team. She knew he'd always had a talent for athletics. Unlike most of the jocks, he at least had above average grades, though he didn't exactly put all effort in academics.

She decided to go to Karen first. She didn't know how much alcohol the punch contained, or if the boys knew there if there actually was any alcohol in there. Best to be safe and stay with more... sober people, until she found Eric.

Karen saw her approaching, and waved her over.

"Hey, I, it's Tatiana from French class." she said. "She's telling us this crazy story of her teammate back in her gymnastics stint." She turned her attention back to the slender Tatiana, "I can't believe she snuck out like that."

Tatiana was at least three inches taller than Karen, who was already at 5'5". She continued on with her story, but Ingrid couldn't listen much. Her attentiion was focused on whether or not she and Eric would cross paths tonight.

**...**

Meanwhile, Joseph excused himself from their little drinking game, and set off to start off his treasure hunt for Karen. He would be waiting for her at the gazebo, where he'd set up his electronic piano, Chucky, earlier, and there he'd give her his gift. And whatever else that would happen.

He took out a paper and scribbled out a note on it.

_For Karen Tehama, go towards where the sun rises, at the apple tree where once met._

And he handed it over to Rusty Mortimer, the guy who sat two rows ahead of him in biology, telling him to hand it to the guy who reads the announcements, and walked out of the gymnasium.

**...**

"For Karen Tehama, go towards where the sun rises, at the apple tree where once met, from anonymous." said the glasses-wearing boy at the microphone. "Repeating..."

"What?" Karen said to herself. She excused herself, and went outside the gym.

Ingrid snickered. Joseph really _did _go through with his little plan for Karen.

Ingrid spotted Wayne and Constance in the dance floor, slow dancing to some song she hadn't even heard before. She had to admire how good they looked together. Wayne's casually styled hair contrasted with Constance's long, curled red locks. His handsome, angular face was close to hers. She had deep, wide-set blue-violet eyes that were undoubtedly her most enchanting feature. Her tiny dancer's figure seemed to fit perfectly to his tall, lean one, as she watched them.

Tatiana was talking to Celine animatedly. Celine wasn't supposed to be here, but considering her height, it probably wasn't an issue that she was just in eighth grade. Besides, Joseph had been the one who dragged her there.

Ingrid excused herself.

Where _was _Eric?

**...**

Karen headed off to the apple orchard, wondering why Joseph chose to meet here. She hadn't seen him in the gym, and he hadn't shown himself to her yet. The broken message over the PA system was odd. Apple tree obviously meant the orchard, but "where once met" didn't make much sense. They'd never met at the orchard, as far as she knew.

Though, come to think of it, they did so when they were still eighth grade. Where they'd... fooled around.

Maybe that was what he meant. Near the giant tree where they practically did it? She shrugged, walking into the orchard. It was the adjoining area where X Middle met X High.

Karen quickly went over to the tree. It was getting dark. She could see the sun setting on the opposite direction. No Joseph. She looked around the tree for anything he might've hidden there.

"Hmm, what's this?" she said, as she pulled out a piece of paper pinned by a thumbtack.

She unfolded the note.

_'EGWEEHSASOLE.  
LVYUGTWTRSDEHRTETRGBU_

To anyone, it was simply a bunch of letters that appeared to make no sense unless you scrambled them to form a coherent sentence. But it would take hours to complete one, as there were a million possibilities.

Karen frowned. Was Joseph doing this? If he was, this was one hard code he made up. She couldn't just scramble them-- that would take too long. There was an easy way to decipher this, but, how? The placement of the letters!

She alternated the letters, took each third letter, but nothing worked.

Stumped, she saw, scrawled on the bark, a letter N with arrows on the end.

"Oh my gosh. I never thought of that!" she exclaimed, as she traced the letters into a horizontal zigzag line.

In the end, it formed, "I love you. Go to water's edge where the stars go blue."

"The docks." she smiled to herself, as she scurried off to find Joseph.

**...**

Joseph arrived at the gazebo to find Jared playing Chucky, his electronic piano of seven years. He'd named it after his imaginary friend when he was still five years old. Jared always teased him for it, but he secretly thought it was adorable.

"Jared, what the hell." said Joseph, laughing.

"Hope you don't mind. I'm planning to use this place after you're done." he said with a wink.

"Depends on how long Karen takes." he said, sitting down beside him. "So, teach me something."

**...**

No sign of Eric yet. Ingrid was beginning to feel a bit hopeless. She just wanted to see Eric, and spend the rest of tonight's dance with him. She hadn't seen him in days, and he hadn't messaged her since yesterday. Finally, she decided to go near the stage, where the band was going to perform on in a few minutes. No one was up front, so she decided to stay there just so she could do something while waiting out for him.

She watched couples on the dance floor.

She saw Evett Morato and his date, Tom Presciotto, also on the floor. They were one of the openly gay couples from the juniors, and Ingrid had to admit, they kind of looked cute together. They were also very sweet to each other, though they didn't like doing public displays of affection. People could only imagine what they did when they were alone.

She spotted Cheri Shotwell with Frank Bishop, and raised an eyebrow. Odd that they went together, but whatever, they were free to go with whoever they wanted to. It was just a really odd match, in Ingrid's eyes.

Tatiana was with her friends, most of them exchange students as well. They were each with their respective dates, some also exchange students, while others were X High boys and girls.

Celine was talking to a group of Fashion Club members who were hoping to get some inside scoop on her mother's line.

Ingrid eventually turned her attention back to the stage, as there were instruments being set up already. Students began to move forward to the stage, and the drummer, pianist and bassist came on stage. Everyone was waiting for the lead guitarist. Ingrid had never seen these three together before, so God knows who the singer/lead was. The bassist was a well-known party boy, Pablo Enrique, the pianist a handsome track player Nicholas Vernon, and the drummer a model, Von Weiss.

"Let's get this party started!" shouted the bassist into the mic. The drummer started with a beat, and the bassist began.

He started singing a song. Ingrid was confused. What kind of band had no lead guitar with a bassist and pianist?

Going into the chorus, someone in a hoodie and shades, carrying a guitar, filled in the missing guitar riffs, and began the chorus of what was a rock love song which appealed to most of the students.

A lot girls squealed when he entered. He had a smooth voice, and blending with the bassist and pianist, it sounded amazing. It surprised Ingrid how these four boys with seemingly no connection were extremely good at what they were doing right now.

After the song, the crowd cheered for them, and the lead singer removed his hood and shades, and when he did, Ingrid received the shock of her life.

**...**

Karen arrived at the docks, and went over to the far end, where she and Joseph usually spent time together when they were off-duty. She figured it was the best place where to start looking. It was the only place at the docks where you could get a clear view of the sea without the obscuring of nearby boats.

A single stem purple rose waited for her in a vase. A piece of coal was sitting nearby the vase. Still no Joseph.

A paper was attached to it, and she took the flower out, and unrolled the paper on it.

_Happy Valentine's Day. Look hard, scribble over, and you will find which you seek._

Confused, Karen looked at the paper. Look hard and scribble? What was that supposed to mean? Karen knew that the answer was going to be right under her nose, but what the hell did that mean? Look hard at what?

So Karen took out her UV penlight. She saw no magic marker ink or invisible ink. But she saw etchings, like when you write on the paper at the top of a stack of paper with heavy pen pressure, and look at the paper under.

"The coal!" she exclaimed, and picked up the little black piece, and rubbed it over the paper. It said one word, albeit incomplete.

_G.Z.B._

From Joseph's notes, she'd remembered a code like this. It was missing vowels. And definitely, it was a place.

Gazebo. The gazebo, where he'd always told her he'd take her on a date one day. It was just around ten minutes away from the docks, and rather far and private enough for them not to be disturbed.

Excited, she went on her way. Joseph wasn't one to plan intricate and/or complex schemes, unless it was much called for.

Hopefully, this was not one of them. She'd been walking for at least a half hour or so already.

**...**

Amber eyes met her green orbs, and Ingrid had to control herself from gaping, as he just smiled down at her, playing a solo.

Ingrid's face broke into a smile. It was all she could do. She never knew he had a band, let alone composed songs.

He gave the guitar a final strum, and let the music die down as the crowd cheered.

"That was a song I wrote for a very special someone," he said, looking directly at her. "I call it _Never Thought_, since it's exactly what I feel for her. Now, who's ready to party?"

The crowd gave an enthusiastic response, and they began playing again.

"This is for all of you." he said. "V-day special, we wrote it just for this occasion, so screw you pirates." This earned a few laughs from the crowd, as he started strumming. "Ten bucks to whoever gets the title right."

Right after the song, Eric climbed down the stage, and kissed Ingrid right on the lips.

Normally, Ingrid would've slapped whoever did that to her, but considering how incredible Eric was, she actually relished the moment. Relished that this moment was probably the most magical one to ever happen to her.

Even if she didn't believe in all that magic shit people described.


	26. Family Secrets

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

Hmmm, I feel like creating a little family-oriented chapter here, so yeah. Nothing too PG-rated, maybe except for GQ's post. Heh.

Hope the length is good enough. XD

_Disney owns Fillmore, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**- THEXOXOPLAYGROUND . NET -  
x marks the gossip spot.**

**hey love. **

Oh wow. Last night was a little more amazing than I expected! If you didn't come, you missed out on _the _night of the year. For now at least. It's a little too early to call. Anyway, going back, it was amazing, in addition to my own amazing experience with my date, (cough cough) it seems a lot of things happened! Even better, we got an extra day off. Bet our awesome student head for social events and affairs made sure of that. Seems the punch was a little _too _spiked for some people.

Because me, being the all-seeing eye, saw not just one, but several couples and groups doing some things you're really not supposed to be doing at a dance. Fortunately, there weren't any teachers.

And if you heard the strange announcement right before the band (I'll get to that later.) started playing, I bet you're wondering what that was. Well, let's just say it led a certain five-foot-five beauty to a gazebo. With who? I don't know. But I would love to.

And the band! Who would've thought? I'd kill to be in I's place. Not everyone can have a hot boyfriend/singer/guitarist able to keep their girlfriend from knowing.

And I heard a certain couple didn't attend last night! Oh, I wonder what they were up to. A source tells me they spent the night in **M**'s house. Doing what? That's another mystery I'll need to solve.

Oh, and for today's sake, I'll be bringing back the Q&A. Just because.

**is he getting _married_?**

Yesterday, **J **was seen carrying one of Tiffany's famous blue boxes! Okay, it sounds so far-fetched, but don't you think he could be getting married/engaged already? I wouldn't be too surprised. I know for a fact he's no stranger to third base.

Or, maybe he was carrying it for older **J**? I heard _they _could elope. Not** J** and **J**, silly! **J** and **_A_**.

**someone scored a recording contract!**

If you haven't heard by now, some visitors from** U. Records** were so impressed they contacted a certain band for a recording contract. Congratulations, guys!

And also, the same label got our very own** A** a recording contract. Apparently, she's been performing with **K** in some small functions and has garnered quite some fame. How come we never knew before? At least now we do. And we finally know why she goes missing from time to time. I wonder, though, if our beloved CIC can score one too. I heard a song of his when he probably thought he was alone.

**eye spy.**

**J **going over to **K** and **A'**s house. Delivering a box, maybe? But why him and not older **J**?

**E **and **I** taking a walk at the beach, **E** bringing his acoustic guitar. Aww, sweet. Bet he sang her songs all night. What else could a girl want?

**P** and** F **having a bit of fun with **Guitar Hero**. And eventually, several people joined. How fun. Bet they were there all night.

**A** in the **Jimmy Augnier Salon** looking at a... bridal magazine?

**your comments.**

**GQ**,  
I totally think **V **and** M** were doing what we all think they were doing. Seriously, who the fuck misses the school dance?**  
- Lish.**

**Lish,**  
You never know. I think he hates dances. But then again, we don't and probably won't. BTW, cute name. If that is your name.

**GQ,**  
Where was Wayne last night? I didn't see him!  
- **Curious Crusher.**

**CC,**  
Oh come on. Don't tell me you didn't see him last night with the gorgeous redhead on the dance floor. Maybe the appropriate question is "Where were _you_?"

**GQ,**  
Help a girl out please? Because my boyfriend's been acting weird lately, and I don't know what to do. He's being all mysterious and when I talk to him, it's like he's hiding something big from me.  
**-ZLC**

**ZLC,  
**Don't feel too bad. Maybe he's planning something special for you! Just give it time, and if nothing happens, might I suggest a little spying? You have the right to know!

All right then, I have to go. I have a French manicure in thirty minutes, so I've got to go get prepped. Who knows who I might run into.

**xoxo.**

**You'll keep coming back to me.**

**through violet eyes.**

"So that's your working title for the album?" asked Karen.

"Yeah. Is it okay?"

The Photoshop document was open on the 24-inch iMac's display. It was a slightly faded black-and-white photo of Angeline holding her prized guitar, Brandy, her violet eyes the only touch of color on the completely neutral background. In true Angeline fashion, she looked like a modern-day Audrey Hepburn minus the trademark updo for long, loose waves.

Karen was also Angeline's guitarist and pianist from time to time, and also did backup vocals, but she didn't want to get into recording yet. She felt like she wasn't ready for the demands of frequent public appearances and days of video shooting and performing.

U. Records took Eric's band, Look Up, right after the dance a few weeks ago. They'd offered Angeline a contract then, but she decided only yesterday to take it now that she was nearing graduation. It was already March, and in June, she was free.

"Yeah. Just maybe move it here." she said, dragging the title to the left, so Angeline's face was seen better.

"Okay. Thanks, sis."

Admittedly, Karen and Angeline were never really close. Definitely, they shared a lot together, but with such a large house and so many activities, they barely ever spent any time together. Karen saw Angeline's music career as a nice opportunity to bond from time to time at the very least.

Karen went over to Ivory Snow, the piano, named after its whiteness and because it was the girls' favorite detergent to pick out whenever they'd gone to the grocery as little kids. The computer/study/music room was placed in an airy, large-windowed room near the pool, and designed to be all white with touches of black and gray, after the whiteness became too overwhelming. The design was inspired by their stay at the Mondrian in Los Angeles, except their room was in floor-to-ceiling white, including the furniture.

Karen sat at the piano and started pressing on the keys to a song she'd written out of boredom one Saturday night. It ended up on YouTube with a thousand views by the next day. Angeline didn't like playing piano and preferred the flute. The room was filled with black-and-white framed photographs, organized music scores, and their instruments.

"When did you write that?" asked Angeline.

"Just a few nights ago."

"It's nice." she said. "Any lyrics to it yet?"

"Yeah, actually." said Karen. "Not a love song, which is pretty unusual for me."

"Hmm, can I hear it? I've been so busy with mine I haven't heard any of yours in a while."

Karen shrugged. "Sure."

"Eyes so bright,  
Both so different and yet so alike.  
Strangers, yet best friends,  
When nothing would ever make sense,  
You're always right by me.

I remember early days,  
When we'd both be in our special place.  
You'd tell me stories, sit by me,  
Love me for what you can see,  
You're always right by me.

And those days have gone by,  
Alone I would lie,  
Wishing for the days,  
I'd have my sister,  
Back in our special place."

Karen played the instrumental part leaving Angeline smiling. This was really sweet of Karen, and seeing the message in the song, she hugged her sister.

**wvl and eps?**

It was the first year he would have to go through without his father. Somehow, it just couldn't sink in that he would never see his father again. So today, when his mother said they were visiting the cemetery, he replied with a strange answer.

"To visit grandma?"

His mother gave him an odd look. "No, we're visiting your father, remember? Your grandmother's buried in London. Well, the other one." she said, referring to her own mother.

"Oh, right." he said. "What time?"

"Okay with you if we leave within an hour?"

"Yeah, sure."

Wayne got up and opened his cabinet drawer, searching for appropriate clothes. He pulled out a white Ralph Lauren polo that just appeared one day in his wardrobe, and to his surprise, a familiar gray envelope fell out, one he never expected to see.

"Dad?"

He picked up the envelope, and opened it. Inside was about two thousand dollars, and a letter.

"Shit, two thousand dollars? How did he even get a hold of this?" he said to himself.

He unfolded the note. He didn't know what to expect. It was written almost a year ago.

_For: Wayne Von Legitt._

_Wayne,_

_I have a strange feeling something bad is going to happen, and I can't hold any secrets from you anymore. You must and deserve to know the truth. You are not my only son. You are not my only child. But you, Wayne, are my favorite. You've been such a strong person throughout everything that's happened to you, and I don't blame you for anything. I'm sorry if I couldn't always be there. I've made some very bad decisions in my life that I don't want you to commit as well. _

_You have a twin brother. His name is Ewan Pavo Sawyer. And he's still alive and well from the last letter I'd received from him. _

_I'm sorry if I didn't tell you earlier. But you must understand my reasons. I wanted you to know when you were ready. I was afraid you would go out in search of him, for you had always longed for a sibling. And you always have. _

_Ewan is older by three minutes. He was adopted into an English family who currently lives in New York. _

_I think you're wondering now why we had to separate you two. _

_Your mother and I, were married at such a young age. We could barely support ourselves, let alone two more children. And our parents did not want to help us because they wanted us to learn from our mistake. And so we did. And look what happened. And I'm sorry I have failed you as a father. I told your mother I would be the one to reveal to you this secret. So don't be angry at her for not telling you anything. It was my decision._

_There are many "it could have been"s in our family. If only we had chosen wiser decisions, then maybe you wouldn't be in this position now. _

_No matter what happens, know I love both of you very much. Take care of your mother._

Wayne refolded the paper.

His father was right. Definitely, he would go out and search for Ewan. How, he didn't know, but there were still questions he needed answered, and he was sure Ewan had some answers.

**model family.**

Joseph didn't need to be reminded on how much he hated photoshoots.

Today, X Magazine, one of those snobby elitist magazines, wanted to do a special on their family. Apparently, their father's winning streak for some high-profile cases had caught some attention, and with their mother's designer status and the three siblings' model status, they seemed the ideal feature for the next month's issue.

He had to wear _makeup_, for God's sake. Thankfully it wasn't any more than powder. If they'd applied any more, he would've walked out already.

"You have very nice skin, _cherie_." said the metrosexual/gay makeup artist, as he was brushing on some loose powder. He really couldn't tell.

"Uh, thanks?" he said.

"Very fortunate, yes. Lovely family." he said. _Probably some lost French dude_. he thought.

Celine was already dressed in a dainty violet number he recognized as one of his mother's from her Valentine collection. Unique to his mother was her seasonal collections. She always had yearly New Year, Yuletide, Valentines', Summer, Fourth of July, and several other holidays' collections. As usual, she didn't look like a thirteen-year old.

Jared was in a crisp black three-piece suit, also by their mother. Their father wore a similar outfit, while their mother was dressed in a long off-white number with silver and tear-shaped pearls, also by her. On the sides were several couture items, presumably for Celine to model. Hopefully, no couture for him.

"All right guys, let's get this shoot on the road!"

First they started off with several family photos in various locations in the house, such as the grand staircase, the library, living room, pool, and dining table. Personally, Joseph thought the one on the grand staircase was the best, but he didn't know about the editors.

Next, each had solo shots in front of the large window overlooking the pool area. The giant curtain there had been taken down. Then, his mother and father got shots, then the three siblings were taken. Most were posed, but other photographers took candids. Figures. You never know which shots were the ones wanted.

Jared was unusually cooperative. Usually he'd begin arguing with the photographer that his suit was dusty or that there was too much light, too much makeup, etc. Jared being mellow was something he was only starting to get used to.

There was something bothering him again. Only, Joseph could sense it wasn't about love. Not about school either. Maybe it was family, but he hadn't noticed anything bad going on between anyone in the house.

Maybe there was time later.

"All right, that's a wrap." said the director, after shots of them in their rooms was finished, making it sound more like a movie than a photoshoot. "Thirty minute break and then we take the couture shots. Then we're done for the day."

His father fell on the couch. "Ouch." he groaned. "Now I know why you boys never liked photoshoots. I've never held a pose that long my whole life."

"Now you know Dad, now you know." he teased.

Their mother fell right beside him. "Oh that feels good." she murmured. "Adam, I'm so glad you bought this couch."

He laughed. "I told you it was a better deal than the green one."

Both parents' eyes were closed, and Jared had already raced upstairs. Joseph decided to follow, snickering as he saw Celine chatting up the main photographer's assistant (or was it son?).

"Jared?" he knocked on the door.

"Joe? Yeah, come in."

"What's up?" he said, as he entered the spacious blue room, free of stacks of paper cluttered about. For now.

"Tired." he said, giving a sleepy smile. "I stayed up all night recording for the school fair's jingle. Can you believe they assigned me? I'm already in charge of the security for Pete's sake."

"Damn."

"You'll experience it too, I'm sure. You're the next senior who'll be taking the chief's place, Joe. I'm sure of it."

"Really?" said Joseph. "For some reason I doubt that."

"You're just lazy to work, Joe. If you actually take the time to work, you'll be one of the best leaders this school has ever seen." said Jared.

"Wow..." said Joseph, scratching his head. "But I still think Wayne and Fillmore have a better chance. Come on. They're like star patrollers, known to practically every district in the state."

"You can do it." said Jared. "C'mere."

Joseph crawled on the bed beside his brother. Just then, Celine knocked on the door.

"Come in." said both boys.

She went inside and lay down between her two brothers.

"So."

"So."

The three laughed.

"Okay, this is weird." said Jared. "We've never actually done this before."

"Yeah, I know." said Celine. "There's always a first time."

Joseph grinned. "Yeah, like this." he said, smacking a pillow on Jared's face.

Jared made a fake-angry face. "You did not." he grabbed another pillow and hit Joseph.

"Pillow fight, gays!" said Celine, as the three jumped up on the bed holding a pillow each.

Sometimes, it was just nice being a kid.

**happy birthday.**

"Mom, are you sure you're fine?" asked Fillmore.

"Yes, yes. It's probably just a little nausea and body aches." said Joelle. She seated herself on the couch, massaging her temples.

"Okay. If you need anything, I'll be upstairs. I still need to finish my report for the case." he said, not convinced, as he walked to the stairs heading up to his room. He shut the door when he heard an ear-piercing scream.

"Shit." he muttered. He grabbed the hallway phone for an ambulance. He didn't know how to drive, and didn't want to try. Not now.

He dialed the emergency number on the way down.

"How may I help?"

Fillmore winced at seeing his mother in pain.

"Breaking!" she screamed.

Fillmore turned, biting his lip.

"Uh, my mother's experiencing contractions, and I don't know how to drive, and I don't know any midwifery techniques and all, so could I please request an ambulance or, at least, help?"

"Address?"

He gave the address, and the operator promised one as soon as possible.

"Hold on, Mom. You'll be fine." he said, wiping sweat off her forehead and allowing her to squeeze his hand. Something was wrong, because the baby wasn't due yet. Her due date was around next month.

But as far as Fillmore knew, based off biology notes, babies had a good chance of survival at eight months. And his mother had been observing her diet well, avoiding even her cravings.

The ambulance arrived within five minutes, and Fillmore called his father.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Mom's giving birth already. Could you meet us in Carson Medical?" he said.

"What? Already? Isn't she due a month from now?"

"Yeah, but baby's a little too excited and is making her way out already." said Fillmore, who felt strangely calm. "I dunno why. But can you?"

"Of course! Son, you know I ran out of a cousin's wedding for your birth, right?" said Karim.

Fillmore laughed. "Yeah, dad. I know. Bye. See you soon."

LALALALA. So that's it for this chapter. Just a few more, and the story'll be completed already. Wow. Thanks for still reading and still reviewing. :D


	27. You're Old Enough

**The Playground**_  
High School is the best time of your life. And I intend to show you XHS's best and worst._

Here we go. :)

It`s a bit long, which is good, I guess, because I`ve neglected to write since I`ve had two very busy months.

I`m glad summer`s finally started. :)

_Disney owns Fillmore, and Cecily von Ziegesar owns Gossip Girl. This is a non-profit piece meant only for entertainment. I shall not be held responsible for a reader viewing content that is beyond their rating's limit, as I will always state the gist of the content in a particular work. With that said, read, review, enjoy. _

**- THEXOXOPLAYGROUND . NET -  
x marks the gossip spot.**

**hey love. **

As my newly-French manicured feet are propped comfortably on the living room table(with a pillow, of course), I'm typing here now that I've got nothing better to do. After a morning shopping spree for La Perlas and new Cosabellas(because even I can't resist a sale), and actually doing my homework, I can finally sit back, relax, and do what I do best.

Fancy introduction much. But whatever. I'm in the mood for all things fancy, because soon, spring's hitting, and tonight, the Tehama family will hold their annual spring auction & outdoor sale(fancy term for garage sale)! They hold that sale for the benefit of their charity, called... Benefit.

As you all know, there will be a number of personalities there, including some of the city's highest officials, actresses, actors, models, designers, and so much more. Most pieces on auction are one-of-a-kind vintage dresses worn maybe only once, bags, shoes, and from what I hear for this year, _cars_.

And let's not forget _our_ own little celebrities.

Everyone's invited to come. Make sure you dress appropriately! Formal wear, or else you'll be asked to leave.

So bring your parents (so they have something to do while you're with your friends or significant other.) and enjoy the party. Trust me, I've been to these parties since I was born, and I can tell you it never gets boring.

And yes, bring those little opera glasses. Tonight's definitely a perfect night to go people-watching(fancy term for spying)!

**eye spy.**

Older **J **scolding younger** J** for leaving a crime scene unattended, and not letting him explain. In front of three juniors, no less! But younger **J** was called by a professor! Am I sensing the start of something... bad? Or is it **J** just being harsh again?

**F** walking out of a hospital with his father. No mom? Hope he's okay.

**J**,** J** and **C**'s mom gossiping with socialite Ellen Lightwing at... Starbucks. Let's not forget it's Ms. Lightwing's favorite.

**K** jogging in the park. As if she needs to lose any weight.

And **W** up in the attic. Wonder why.

I heard only the closest friends of the Tehamas are allowed inside the house later. So if you do manage to get in there, watch out. The walls don't have ears. They have eyes.

See you later!

**xoxo.**

**You'll keep coming back to me.**

**i think she gets it from you.  
**

Fillmore was at the nursery, watching his premature baby sister in the NICU. She was born at 35 weeks old, a month earlier than her due date. The doctor said she would most likely be in the NICU for a little more than a week, or less if she showed improvement in her breathing, and if she started gaining a little weight.

His mother was still up in the room resting.

He looked at the list of names his mother had written down a few nights ago.

_Darryl Jane_ (most probably for their grandparents Daryl and Janette), _Ericka Antoinette_ (same goes for grandpa Anton and grandma Erica), _Elle Jarim_ (Jarim was probably a combination of their first names), _Cornelia Regine_ (for him!).

"Hey." said a familiar voice, as he looked over the names one more time.

He looked up from the list. Ingrid Third.

"Look who we have here. Ingrid! Nice to see you." he said, giving her a short embrace. "There she is." he said, pointing at the baby.

"She's so beautiful. She looks just like your mom." said Ingrid, watching as the baby's eyes opened and closed. "I'm glad they're both okay."

"Yeah." he said, briefly thinking back to the previous day. His mother was in labor for four hours, and his dad acted like every minute was a step closer to his execution. Fortunately, they both turned out okay.

"Any names yet?" she asked.

"Yeah, actually. My mom made a list a couple of days ago, and we've yet to decide. Maybe you could help us." said Fillmore, shrugging, as he showed her the list of names.

"Interesting." said Ingrid, looking over the list. Fillmore thought she was trying to look for the origins of the names. She'd looked over a baby name book the other day, when both of them were trying to come up with names. Needless to say, they failed. But at the very least, Ingrid gained something from it.

"Cornelia's weird, though. Not because of the name, but how it would sound at home." he said. "I mean, how weird would it sound? "Cornelius, go get Cornelia some milk." Come on."

Ingrid laughed. "Point taken. Though you could always call her Regine..." she said. "Though in my opinion Ericka Antoinette sounds really nice. Second would probably be Elle Jarim. Wait. Is it _Ja_-rim, or _Ja_-reem?"

"Ja-reem." said Fillmore. "Combination of their first names."

"Figures." she laughed. "How long will she be here?"

"About a week or so." he said. "She's pretty strong though. Her breathing's pretty unstable, but otherwise she's fine."

"That's good." she said.

"Depends, really. I hope she becomes more stable."

"She will, Fillmore." she assured. "She will. Didn't you just say she's a strong one? Then she'll make it."

"True."

"I think she gets that from you." said Ingrid.

**the right time.  
**

Wayne spent the night at the hospital to be with Fillmore and his father. Once he'd gotten the message, he went over to Carson Medical to make sure everything was okay. Somehow, he got a feeling that there was something wrong. And it turned out that his famous intuition didn't fail him. Fillmore's sister was born premature. Fortunately, she was born at a time where she was strong enough to survive.

He woke up at ten in the morning with a text message from Fillmore.

_Hey, thanks man. It meant a lot to have you there. I can't believe you calmed down my dad, lol. _

_-F_

Wayne snickered. Back in sixth, it was always him, Fillmore, or Anza that broke the ice with random pranks and jokes. Whenever one of them was stressed, the other two would provide the humor.

He replied, and slid his Motorola in his pocket. He wanted some answers.

He pushed open the attic's door, and walked to the cabinet where all of the things his father said to keep were still there. By all means, he was intelligent. He even made it to Mensa. The only problem is, he was subtle. He left so few clues behind to help him piece together whatever mystery it was he wanted him to solve.

True, you could never know someone completely.

He didn't even know his father very well. He only knew him as his father. The guy that raised him. The guy that divorced and dated a guy. The guy that died trying to protect him. He shook his head vigorously. He opened the doors, and inside was a large wooden box. Locked, of course.

"Hm." he said, as he lifted the box, examining it. The screws that put the hinges in were unusual. Instead of an X or a slash, it was an L. He didn't have tools for that. Obviously, his father designed the box. He shook his head. He had to unlock it.

Here was the problem. How could he open the lock? It was one of those combination locks you pushed, but it was made on the box itself. And instead of numbers, it was a jumble of letters.

He typed his name, but it didn't budge. He tried Ewan's, then his dad's, then his mom's, but nothing worked.

He groaned, and put it aside. He had a strange feeling that Ewan would be needed for this.

He sneezed. Dust was flying everywhere.

"Wayne?" Cough. "Are you up here?"

"Yes, mom." he replied.

"Get down here. It's dusty up there."

"Mom, I'm just looking through some old photo albums. Don't worry. I'll be out in five minutes." he said.

"All right. Just so you know we have waffles downstairs." she said.

"Yes mom." he said, as he continued with his search.

"I need to find one of those letters." said Wayne, to himself.

If only he could find one of Ewan's letters to his father. Then he'd have a starting point. He found him on Facebook, but was deciding first if he wanted to add him. It was awkward, and he didn't know if Ewan knew about him. From the picture he saw, they looked very much alike.

He attended Browning School, some private boys' school in the Upper East Side, meaning he was either rich or supremely gifted.

Something drew him to the book _Gone With the Wind_. He'd read it once. This book, however, seemed so thick. Thicker than what he'd expected. He pulled it from above, and when he opened it, sure enough, there was a letter placed in between the pages.

"Jackpot." he said, grinning.

He put everything back inside for his mother's sake, and went out of the attic to place the book in his room. He went down to the table, and saw both his parents eating already.

"Waffle? I think you could use one."

Wayne laughed. "Sure."

After finishing breakfast, he thanked them both, and raced up to his room. He didn't know what to expect in the letters, so he was excited to know what was written, and what he would be able to surmise about his brother.

Hands trembling, he opened to the first page with a letter. He took it out and unfolded it. It was six years ago, when they were eight years old. It was written during December.

In children's hand, he read the short letter.

_Dear Dad and Mom,_

_Happy Birthday dad! I hope you get many great gifts._

_I still don't understand why I have two dads and two moms. So I remember I call you dad and mom, and my parents here mommy and daddy. I don't understand why I have to live with them if I'm not their real son. But that's ok, I'm happy to have them and you._

_I am going to Browning School now and like it very much. My best friend's name is Lance Hayes. He lives in the Plaza too. _

_Merry Christmas too! Thank you for the new toy car. I love it. I think mommy and daddy will send you something with this too. I get tired of writing, so I will end here.  
_

_Love, Ewan._

He laughed at the last line. So yes, definitely rich. He closed the letter and moved on to the next and next and next.

Over the course of an hour or so, he'd managed to read the letters up to when Ewan reached fourteen. He wrote every one, two, or three weeks. The longest he didn't write was a month, but he wrote a very long letter explaining that he had so many projects to do since Browning was "pretty harsh with the studies." He mentioned that he met some girls one day from Spence and Nightingale-Bamford, and that he was starting to feel things "probably because I'm growing up. I don't like it."

He saw that Ewan liked sharing things with his dad, and that he told him more things than his parents. They weren't as easy to talk to, apparently. From the letters, it seemed Ewan was a pretty nice guy and that they had a similar sense of humor. He liked lacrosse, football, and skateboarding. He wasn't into baseball, but he watched only because his father loved talking about it and watching it. He said he wasn't good at swimming, but could swim well enough to keep him alive.

He reached the letter at the time when the divorce was finalized. It was awfully emotional, but Wayne felt the same thing. Only, intensified, because he was the one that witnessed all the sleepless nights and nightly fights.

_Dear Dad,_

_What happened? I thought things were working out so well for you two. How come you left this major detail out from all the letters you've been sending? _

_I don't know what to say, really. It's as if reading that sentence (and I've done so many times) took out all the words I could say. I don't know. I'm going through a lot too, and this... just surprised me. Not in a good way, as you can tell. _

_I haven't seen you guys in years, but I recall the last time very well. It's the last thing I thought would have happened. _

_They say I shouldn't get affected, but I am. You are my real parents. And it turns out they knew too. Why do adults always have to shelter us from problems that will affect us? I don't get it. _

_Write back when you're ready to tell the truth._

_Ewan._

He sighed. Ewan didn't know much, but if ever they did meet, he'd have a lot to say.

He moved on to the next letter, which was about three weeks later.

_Dead Dad,_

_At the very least, I feel I should apologize for my last letter, for I think I grew a little too emotional. _

_Thanks for clearing everything up. I guess things just don't work out for some people. And that denying a problem exists can just make it worse. Well. I can't do anything about it. It's been done, and all to do is move on. _

_I'd really like to meet Wayne one day. Just tell me when the "right time" is. Though I don't understand why not now.  
_

_I've been so harassed lately. All ma and pa do are bring me to these glitzy blah events. Not that the girls are bad, but I'd prefer to be at home and just chill. Professor Turning's been on my nerves lately. As if biology were my favorite and only subject! I'd like to fail his subject if I could, but I won't. Ma and pa say I need to keep it up so I can get into those Ivies. But I'm only a freshman, for Pete's sake. _

_How is Wayne? What's he like? _

_You know, I'm just waiting for the day I can actually come down there. I'm sick of being this Prince of the Upper East Side dude. I'm tired of all this high society blah. I ended up on Page Six for a drunken mistake. Needless to say, they weren't very happy with that, pa being the English diplomat and all, so yeah. _

_Write soon._

_Ewan._

Wayne closed that one. He decided this was enough for today. Just knowing that Ewan knew about him was enough.

He grabbed his laptop from the table and logged on to Facebook.

He clicked on the 'Add Friend' button.

"Now's the right time, Ewan." he said, as the confirmation message appeared.

**ready.  
**

"I wonder how people haven't been able to pick up on us." said Karen, as they were strolling on the beach that evening. The Benefit auction was still later. They had an hour.

"Beats me." said Joseph. "I mean, I don't even think we're good at hiding it."

It was a clear sky that night, and stars scattered the deep blue sky like diamonds. It was a full moon that night, and the breeze was cool. Karen shivered a little.

"Here." he said, and took off his jacket, draping it around her shoulders.

She smiled at him. "Thanks."

They reached the famous stones, where people were always staying at to talk. It was the best place. Quiet, breezy, and the atmosphere was perfect.

"I've always known I'd end up with you somehow." said Joseph. He was surprised that he just randomly blurted it out and wondered if he should regret saying it.

But Karen didn't show any signs of being surprised, angry or, anything.

"Me too, Joseph." she said. "I've tried... with other guys. It just... didn't feel like it was right. It wasn't you."

"I'm glad you feel the same." said Joseph. "So, I need to ask you something."

"What is it?" Karen's heart started thumping wildly. Whatever this was, she was sure it was going to be big.

"It's been... months, I guess. If not, it sure feels like it. And we've managed to keep quiet about us for so long that it's become crazy. People asking me why I'm still single." he said. "And having to flat out lie and get away with it somehow feels nice. But I've heard some rumors. Like me courting girls other than you, and I don't like it. So now, officially, I'm asking you."

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

Silence lingered between them for a few seconds.

"Yes."

He smiled. "Because I'm ready to let the world know."

"And so am I."

**on the upper east side.**

_Wayne Von Legitt added you as a friend on Facebook._

Ewan Pavo Sawyer sat in front of his 24-inch iMac staring at the picture of the golden blond-haired, naturally tanned boy on his screen.

_Is this real?_ he thought.

They looked exactly alike. Same nose, same eyes, same build, same smile. Scratch that with the eyes. Ewan was blue-eyed, and it seemed Wayne here was either green or hazel-eyed.

"This is impossible." he said, clicking yes.

He clicked on the Wall, and typed.

_Wayne, for real? Wow. I guess that he was right. You'd be the one to tell me. So yeah. Can we talk or something?_

He posted it and took a breath. He looked at Wayne's profile, pictures. From there he could tell that Wayne wasn't exactly the type to post everything. He didn't do too much, just comment and talk to people and post some pictures. He looked at the album he made for his dad. He looked at the ones from the one for this Valentines' Dance.

Looks like he had a girlfriend. Lucky guy. He seemed fun. Not controlled and a major perfectionist like him. Not needed to be in all the high society crap like him. He looked like he had actual friends, not like his, save for Lance and Scott, who were only interested in his wealth, influence, and his ability to attract girls wherever he went. He'd never had a serious girlfriend though he _was_ looking for one.

His iPhone buzzed.

_Regina Lowe: So can I see you tonight?  
Regina Lowe: My room's quite free._

He shook his head. Regina was this senior from Brearley that he met at a party last week. He was too drunk to not stop himself from giving his number, so now this is what happens. He gets bothered. He didn't exactly want any sex with some random girl he met, but making out was fine.

_E. P. Sawyer: Sweetheart, I'll be at the party west club tonight. I'll just go c u there.  
Regina Lowe: Fine. I'll be there._

Persistent, persistent. But fine. Whatever she wanted.

Right now, his "friends" were hailing him for scoring a senior. Heck, even seniors were hailing him for scoring Regina. Apparently, she was one of those hard-to-get girls. And one of the hottest. Though Ewan thought Eve Milano was the hottest. She was his closest girl friend.

_Eve Milano: Hey Pavo! Going to West?_

He smiled. She always called him Pavo to piss him off.

_E. P. Sawyer: Have to. See ya there?  
Eve Milano: You bet._

He started typing. Maybe he could tell Eve about Wayne. Lance was busy working out.

_E. P. Sawyer: My twin brother found me on fb  
Eve Milano: Really? :O Wait, you had one?  
E. P. Sawyer: Yeah lol. He looks exactly like me.  
Eve Milano: Where is he?  
E. P. Sawyer: IDK. But i want to meet him._

"Ewan!" called his mother, Christine. She was, as always, dressed at her best, so he could never really tell what best-dressed meant for her. Today, she wore an entirely Versace ensemble. He knew this because he was expected to. "We'll be going within thirty minutes." She cocked her head to the side, frowning a little. " Anything wrong?"

"No. Just a little bothered at my friend." he lied.

"I'm sure you'll resolve it." she said, smiling. "Come now. We'll be meeting with the sultan of Brunei tonight."

He signed off iChat and turned off his computer. He had another plan in mind.

**for the benefit.**

The Tehamas' back yard, if you call it that, was crowded with hundreds of people. Indeed, some had the opera glasses with them. Parents and grandparents were seated in front of the stage, while their teenage children were busy socializing in the garden. The younger children were either playing with their PSPs or DS, or playing on the playground.

Joseph, Jared, and Celine were all in the garden.

"So everyone really dressed up tonight." commented Joseph. He himself was in a three-piece suit. Again. And so was Jared. And Celine was wearing a white dress by their mother paired with silver Jimmy Choos and a Chanel clutch. He saw their mother already talking to a group of several people. Among the group was the mayor's wife, who was a big fan of her line.

"Yeah." said Celine. "The Tehamas outdid last year's. As they always do with every year."

"Who's going?" asked Jared, yawning.

"I dunno. Heard practically everyone is, so they're letting some people in the house. Namely, us." said Joseph, who checked his phone. "And the rest of the Tehamas' friends."

"Check Wayne out." said Celine. "Head-to-toe designer. Ohmigosh, he had a Rolex? Wow."

Both boys looked to where Celine was looking.

"Is that him? I mean, it looks like him, but it's like it's not." said Joseph, frowning. "Wayne?" No response. He seemed to be looking for someone. Or something. He raised his voice a little. "Wayne?"

Wayne looked at him, then walked towards him.

"Funny, he even walks different." said Jared.

"Err, hi." said a slightly Anglo-accented voice, who apparently wasn't Wayne. But who in the hell was he? "I'm actually looking for him."

"Uh, if you're not him, who're you?" said Celine.

"Oh, right. Sorry. I'm Ewan Sawyer." he said. "His, um, brother."

"Brother?" said Jared.

"Explains the appearance." said Joseph. "Wait with us here, then. Chances are, he'll be here any time soon. Where did you come from?"

"New York." said Ewan. "I ditched the party there for this. I can't stand it anymore."

"Explain how you got here. New York is... a state away."

"Private jet. Someone owed me a favor." he said, checking his platinum Rolex. It was eight in the evening. "I just heard about the auction thing here and snuck off. I was thinking Wayne would be here since I'd crossed the name Tehama a couple of times. And that them living here was no coincidence."

"Just as sharp as Wayne." said Jared. "Oh, look, there's Karen."

Joseph's heart skipped a beat. "Wow. Just, wow." he said. "I can't believe how she looks so... perfect." he said, dumbly.

"Too in love." explained Jared to Ewan.

"Ah." he said in understanding.

Karen spotted them and waved. She was talking to some senior from X. After they hugged, she went to them.

"Hi Wayne!" she said to Ewan. "You look different, but great."

Everyone laughed. "That's Ewan. We're waiting for Wayne."

"Oh... uh, wait. Who're you?" asked Karen.

"His long-lost twin brother." he said. "Is that him?"

Their heads turned towards the garden's entrance.

"Yeah." said Joseph. "That's him."

He was dressed similarly, since, after all, it was a black-tie event. He spotted them, and his eyes grew wide for a second when he saw Ewan, but he made his way there without expression.

"Hey guys." he said to them. "Ewan."

"Hey." he said. "Sorry for dropping by unannounced. I needed to ditch the parents."

"Cool." said Wayne. "Come on, let's go to the bar."

"Sure." he said, shrugging.

When both of the boys left, Joseph laughed.

"What an interesting reunion." said Joseph.

"Interesting he never told us before." said Karen.

"Guess he just found out." said Jared.

"Oh, look, there's Fillmore and Ingrid!" said Celine. "Looks like you guys're complete now. I'm going to head off with Veronica and Reese, okay?" she said to her brothers.

"Okay." they said at the same time.

"Have fun!"

**old enough.  
**

The bartender was only mildly surprised to see the identical boys seated at the bar table. He shrugged. They didn't look any older than sixteen, but since there were adults around, he figured it was okay to let the teenagers slide tonight. Besides, it wasn't his job to monitor who drank and who didn't.

"What'll it be?" he asked.

"Got Perignon?" said Ewan.

"Yeah." he said. "You?"

"Bud will do." said Wayne.

Both boys watched the bartender fix their drinks.

"So..." said Wayne.

"So...?" said Ewan.

They laughed.

"I can't believe dad never told me about you." they said at the same time. Both of them laughed.

"I know." said Wayne. "He was always good at keeping secrets. I remember he used to make me do these scavenger hunts when I was much younger. I'd keep pestering him to give me the answer already but he never gave up."

"Wish I had someone like that. What were those scavenger hunts for?"

"For my birthday gifts. It was fun for the most part, and I think it developed my intuition blah. Must be why I succeeded as some safety patrol officer." he laughed. "I never really thought about it, really."

"That's cool. I've always wanted to be a safety patroller. Browning never had those, so yeah." he said. "You must be in honors or something."

"Yeah. A couple. I'm sure you are too." he said.

Ewan laughed. "And I guess you must be pretty popular too. When I came in people were all "Hey, Wayne!" and I just said hi to whoever the hell they were." he said.

"And they were all, "Didn't I just see you come in?" when I did. That's how I figured you were here." he said.

"Nice." said Ewan.

"How'd you find out about the auction?"

"Well, two things. This gossip blog. I think they're run by a group of friends from different cities and states, and they're about the "interesting" people." said Wayne. "Yours is the xoxoplayground thing, right? Ours is the gossip girl chick." he said. "And then, I crossed the name Tehama a couple of times, maybe because of the parents, so yeah. I figured that since you lived here, maybe you would go. Turns out I was right."

"Cool. Figures." said Wayne.

Their drinks arrived, and both thanked the bartender, tipping him a ten each.

Several of the teenagers around the bar area pulled out their phones.

"Gossip girls at work." commented Ewan.

Wayne pulled out his own phone.

_Breaking news! K and J caught making out then going up together in K's room._

He shook his head, watching as some of the people began to group together, presumably to gossip.

"They're all the same." said Ewan, laughing. "Who's it about?"

"Karen and Joseph. The blue-eyed dude and the girl in the red dress earlier." said Wayne, taking a swig out of the bottle.

"Ah." said Ewan.

His phone buzzed again.

_Looks like older J's pissed. Wonder why. Not like this was the worst J got into... but then again, getting seen by the mayor is kind of big, right?  
_

"Oh crap." said Wayne. "Says here his older brother's pissed. Joe doesn't usually get himself into trouble, but looks like he got himself big time. I don't think the mayor really minds, but it's kind of painful for the rep since gossip girl managed to spread the news faster than I could finish this Bud."

"Ouch." said Ewan. "Will they need you?"

"I think they're old enough." said Wayne.

That`s another chapter done. :) Heh, thanks for still reading.


End file.
